Olgha Sandman Obituary

Olgha Sierra Sandman
Olgha Sierra Sandman, 98, died on Tuesday, January 27, 2026.
Olgha was born in Linares, Nuevo León, Mexico, near Monterrey. Her father was a Mexican Baptist minister and her mother a dedicated layperson fulfilling national roles in Baptist organizations. She was the 10th of 11 children who survived into adulthood.
After working as a teacher in Monterrey, Olgha enrolled in the Baptist Missionary Training School (BMTS), which in 1950 was in Chicago. In the summer of 1951, she worked with children in Migrant Ministry, where she met seminary student J. Robert (Bob) Sandman. They married in 1955. In addition to being a mother of four children, Olgha lived a life of faith and service. She connected with immigrant college students, remembering her own experience as a foreign-born student.
Olgha received the first of many awards and honors, when, in 1967, she was awarded as one of the Ten Top Women in Dayton, Ohio, for her work with helping resettle Cuban immigrants. And Olgha began her life's work with farmworkers, starting with the grape boycott in 1970. She was a supporter and colleague of Cesar Chavez and Dolores Huerta, as well as the Coalition of Immokalee Workers, the Farm Labor Organizing Committee (FLOC), the United Farm Workers, and others. She served as the founding Director of the Illinois Farm Worker Ministry from 1974 to 1992 and on the board of directors of the National Farm Workers Ministry since its founding in 1970. She served as Interim President and Director of the National Farm Worker Ministry for a short time period in the late 1990s. Olgha also launched the Illinois Farm Worker Service Center in 1981 and was instrumental in advocating for passage of the Illinois Field Sanitation Law and the legalization of undocumented workers under the Immigration Reform and Control Act. Olgha co-founded the Farmworker and Landscaper Advocacy Project (FLAP) in 1999.
Olgha and her husband Bob lived on Oakwood Avenue in Downers Grove and then in the Gingerbrook neighborhood in Oak Brook. Following her husband's death, she moved in 2013 into Oak Trace in Downers Grove, a senior living community. For 45 years, she was a member of First Congregational UCC in Downers Grove, IL, as well as a member of San Lucas United Church of Christ in Chicago, IL.
After retirement in 1992, Olgha and husband Bob served for one year as volunteer missionaries for the Board for World Ministries, establishing the Istanbul, Turkey, Interparish Migrants Project. Olgha received many recognitions and awards over the years, among the Notable awards and achievements:
• An honorary Doctor of Letters Degree from the Chicago Theological Seminary in 1991
• The Sor Juana Award by the National Museum of Mexican Arts in Pilsen
• Recipient of the Governor's Award for Excellence during Latino Heritage Month in 2014
• Inducted into the Union Hall of Honor by the Illinois Labor History Society in 2015 in recognition of her decades working for justice for Illinois farm workers
• Service Award in 2017 for Dedicated Service to Church Women United serving on the State Board Ecumenical Action Committee as Farm Worker/Immigration Coordinator.
• Certificate of Appreciation from Cesar Chavez and the Executive United Farm Workers Board
• Recognition as one of Five Outstanding Immigrants in Illinois
• In 1999, Olgha collaborated with the late Julie Shannon and her husband Bill Geller in the production of the musical "Let The Eagle Fly," the story of Cesar Chavez and the Farm Workers, which had its Chicago debut at the Mercury Theater in 2021.
Olgha had a magnetic and charismatic personality. She attracted devotion from her family, farm workers, food executives, church leaders, and politicians. English was her second language, which she used in many public speaking events. She liked to begin her presentations by saying, "Some of you may be thinking that you will not understand my accent. But I don't have an accent. You have an accent." People would laugh and then they would listen.
Olgha is survived by a son, Bob Sandman, married to Kathy; a daughter, Linda Sandman, married to Rich Wheelock; and a son, Rodney, married to Karin. She had eight grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Rev. Daniel Sierra Barocio and Luz Ramos Sierra; husband, the Rev. Dr. J. Robert Sandman; son Richard Sandman; grandson Nicholas Sandman; and all 10 siblings.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, April 18th at 11 a.m. at First Congregational UCC, 1047 Curtiss Street, Downers Grove, IL 60515. Arrangements by Adams-Winterfield & Sullivan Funeral Home, (630)968-1000 or www.adamswinterfieldsullivan.com.