Randi M. Van Der Sloot, age 46 of Sioux Falls, SD passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 27, 2024 at Dougherty Hospice House in Sioux Falls, SD. Her Funeral Service will be 1:00 PM Friday, May 3, 2024 at Community Reformed Church (6800 E. 41st St), Sioux Falls. Visitation will be on Thursday, May 2, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 PM, also at the church.
Randi Marie Van Der Sloot was born in Sioux Falls, SD on October 21, 1977. Buster, as her dad calls her. When she was just 7 months old, they moved to Saudi Arabia where her dad worked as a pharmacist and bootlegged in “Catacomb Ministries”. Randi often shared her memories of this time in her life and their travels to Europe and other memorable locations.
After moving back to the states, they lived in Indianapolis while her dad attended Purdue University and eventually returned to Sioux Falls. Randi attended Whittier Middle School and Washington High School where a spark was lit for her love of music. Randi’s first career brought her to Maple Lake, MN where she worked at Camp Courage and Spirit Camp helping to run camps for kids with spina bifida. She then moved to Bloomington, MN where she worked for Parks and Rec.
In 2008, Randi returned to Sioux Falls and eventually joined her lifelong mentor Cathy Britton at O’Gorman Junior High and High School. Randi returned to college and completed her second degree, a Bachelors in Music and Masters in Education. She and Cathy taught together at O’Gorman for 7 years directing various choirs and show choirs as well as teaching general music. Randi then took a position at Harrisburg South Middle School where she helped build their music program and show choir programs for four years. Randi has been at her current position at Roosevelt High School since 2019 where she also was a choir director and more recently, part of the RISE program and engaging with kids with special needs where she really shined.
Randi and Marty met on a blind date in 2010. It was a date neither of them wanted to go on. Randi talked the entire night and kept the conversation going. Randi and Marty were married in November of 2012 and in Randi fashion, serenaded by a complete show choir and surrounded by hundreds of people. Randi loved her new son, Mitchell. She loved her role in his life, guiding him and being a positive conduit for him. In 2014, Aaralyn Marie was born. Randi glowed with pride of her little girl. Aaralyn means with song and boy did she love doing music with her mom.
In 2015, when Aaralyn was just a year and a half old, Randi was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer. Immediately, teams of people rallied around her. She was always surrounded by those who deeply loved her at all her treatments. Everything from the Shrine clowns singing her happy birthday at the Prairie Center, to fundraisers, and supporting others all along the way. Randi was a proud Pink Lady with the Avera Cancer Race. At the end of her 2 years of treatments and surgeries, Randi donated celebration bells to the 2nd and 3rd floors of the Prairie Center infusion areas, 3 bells in total. She wanted people to be able to celebrate all occasions of their journey. For some, that was their last treatment. For others, it was just not getting sick that day. She fully believed in Choosing Joy.
In 2018, Randi experienced a true miracle. After being told by her doctors that with all the treatments she had, she would not have any more children. But God decided otherwise and in November of 2018, Olivia Kaye was born. Olivia comes from the story of the olive tree that grows in places where nothing else can live. Olivia was the girl she didn’t know just how much she really needed. She is full of energy and love, constantly on the move.
In 2020, at Randi’s last visit with her cancer follow up team, Randi found out that her cancer had come back. The cancer was now metastatic and spread to her lung cavity, under her left arm, and into her lymph nodes. Randi went thru several chemo medications, sometimes on them for a few months, and sometimes for almost a year. At one point, there was no sign of active cancer for over 10 months. Then that cancer came back much stronger and more aggressive. Spreading to her skin and lymph nodes thru her chest and abdomen, and eventually to her brain.
Randi believed in living her journey out loud. We lived this thru Randi’s Warriors Facebook group. She shared the highs and lows, but never let the journey bring her positive attitude down. Her life mission was to bring JOY to others. In every part, she was thinking about others and how she could help them, even when she didn’t have energy to help herself. Randi believed deeply in Jesus’ love and in His grace and mercy.
Randi passed in Marty’s arms on the morning of Saturday, April 27. She is preceded in death by her grandparents, Pete and Marie Schwebach and Wally and Lil Wallenberg; and her cousin, Jake Schwebach. Randi is survived by her husband, Marty; son, Mitchell; daughters, Aaralyn and Olivia; parents, Brad and Karen Wallenberg; siblings, Kelly (Pat) Tague, Jeff (Megan) Wallenberg (Piper, Ela, and Quinn), and Sara Wallenberg; and an extended family that loves her as her own.
Isaiah 55:12
For you shall go out in JOY and be led forth in peace. The mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing and the trees of the field shall clap their hands.