Sandy was born February 02, 1947 in Minneapolis, MN. He was the second oldest of sixteen children who grew up in Lauderdale, MN. Sandy graduated from Alexander Ramsey High School in 1966. 

The year after graduating he was drafted into the Vietnam War, serving as a Combat Engineer with the US Army 1967-1969. He returned home a proud Veteran, and reminisced occasionally about the war, sharing that he had spent his 21st birthday in a foxhole, and had experienced some triumphs amongst the difficult losses during his service in Vietnam. 

Sandy married his first wife, Sharon, in December 1966. They had three children together, a son and two daughters, and lived in Blaine. Sandy later married Barb in October 1993. They had one daughter and along with Barb’s son lived in Oakdale.

Sandy worked as a Master Craftsman in furniture repair. He was an all-around handyman. He loved to garden, cook, hunt, fish, and spend time at his property in Crosslake. He enjoyed building furniture, spoiling his animals, and keeping his family updated on the latest weather changes. He was a generous and caring man. He would always tell you to “drive safe” and “take care of yourself” and make sure you had everything you needed when you visited him. 

Sandy passed away peacefully at home on February 07, 2024.