Sondra K. Waltz

Sondra Kay (Hurst) Waltz, 86, of Norwalk, wife of James Waltz, died April 22, 2025. Sondra was the cherished daughter of Hester (Griffith) and Raymond Hurst. She was the loving mother of Pamela and Bradley.

Sondra was born March 23, 1939, in Winterset. After graduating from Winterset High in 1957, she received her Bachelor of Science in child development from Iowa State University. She received her Masters of Science in elementary curriculum and instruction from Drake University.

Sondra started her teaching career in Story City teaching fifth grade science. She went on to teach in Belle Plaine and Cedar Rapids where she taught social studies and language arts. In 1967, Sondra and family moved to Norwalk where she began teaching sixth grade science. She continued teaching in Norwalk until her retirement.

Sondra was always interested in conservation and wildlife. Her students knew of her love of animals and would frequently bring her a wide variety of found babies or injured animals to raise. So she became a registered wildlife rehabilitator and raised hundreds of squirrels, opossum, skunks and birds over the years.

She hated seeing dead animals on the road. After a student brought her a dead pigeon, she decided to try taxidermy to share more wildlife with her students. She found a teacher at Winterset who did taxidermy, and she worked for many months taking lessons from him. After she completed her lessons and found more dead animals on the road she couldn’t pass up, she applied for and received a license from the government to preserve protected species. She displayed magnificent birds of prey in flight from her classroom ceiling. She had numerous mammals around her room. This allowed her students to get up-close and personal with wildlife and have a new appreciation for it.

Sondra received several awards and recognition from the local Norwalk Professional Education Association to the National Science Teachers Association. Twice she was the regional teacher division winner of the Iowa Soil Conservation Achievement Award. She was recognized at the state level by the Iowa Academy of Science’s Excellence in Science teaching in the area of elementary science and the national level by the National Science Teachers Association with the Exemplary Elementary Science Teaching Award from Council for Elementary Science. She was also published in numerous science journals about her interesting classroom activities.

She loved sharing science and the great outdoors with her four grandchildren: Nathan, Lucas and Matthew Waltz and Abigail Ellis. The grandchildren have fond memories of mushroom hunting, making giant bubble wands, growing crystal gardens, going to the fair and spending holidays together. Sondra loved the state fair. She was very active in Girl Scouts and 4-H. Once she was a 4-H queen at the fair. Sondra and Jim would usually go to the fair multiple times a season. It was always a family outing to go to the fair to see the animals, tractors and interesting exhibits. This tradition continues with her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

She’ll be joining her parents, Raymond and Hester Hurst; brother James and son-in-law David Ellis in heaven.

Sondra will be missed by the ones she left behind: husband James; daughter Pamela Ellis; son Bradley (Ronda) Waltz; grandchildren: Nathan (Sabrina) Waltz, Lucas (Alison) Waltz, Matthew (Shantelle) Waltz and Abigail (Chris) Stricker and five great-grandchildren: Colton, Karsyn, Lydia, Lauren and Christopher Waltz.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. May 1, at the Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home - Winterset Chapel in Winterset. Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. May 2, at the Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home-Winterset Chapel. Interment will follow at the Winterset Cemetery. A luncheon will follow services at the Legion Hall in Winterset.

Memorials are suggested to the family for designation at a later date.

Full obituary and online condolences may be shared with the family at www.caldwellparrish.com