William Arthur Sandstrom

William Arthur (Sandy) Sandstrom returned to his Heavenly Father on Sunday Feb. 26, 2023 after a short illness.  Born on May 2, 1939 to Carol Wilhelm and Grace Elisabeth Scott Cleve Sandstrom, he lived a long and productive life where he enjoyed many adventures beginning at a young age.

Sandy was raised in Ogden, Utah, first living on Kiesel Street as a young child, and then moving to an apartment bldg. on 33^rd and Washington Blvd.  This is the home where he resided until he graduated from high school.  During this period of his life, he had many friends and they were known as the 33^rd Street Gang.  This is the point in time where the adventures in his life began:  swimming in the Weber River, playing on and around the railroad tracks that ran through Ogden, and meeting some very interesting people at the Hobo camps in the area.

Dad went to school from first through ninth grade at the Washington School, which was located right across the street from his apartment.  He often stated that he didn’t wake for school until he heard the school bell ring and then he had five minutes to get ready and race to school before the tardy bell rang.  He attended Ogden High School, graduating in 1957.  During his years at Ogden, he played five sports including baseball, basketball, football, wrestling, and track, and in the Fall of 1956, he was named Honorable Mention All-State in football even though he only played in five games.  The summer before the 1956 season he suffered a burst appendix which affected his ability to have a full football season.

Following graduation, he enrolled at Utah State University, but then realized he needed a break from school so he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was off to Camp Pendleton for Boot Camp.  During Christmas leave in 1957, Sandy and several friends went to Snow Basin for a day of tobogganing on the slopes but an unfortunate accident occurred when they hit a fence.  Dad broke his jaw and his back and his back injury affected him the rest of his life.  After spending several months in the hospital and in rehab he returned to active duty but the Marine Corps medically removed him from active duty and transferred him to the Reserves for the remainder of his enlistment.

Dad was always a great worker and got his first job at Curly’s Filling Station, which also just happened to be right across the street from his apartment, at age twelve and worked there until his enlistment in the Marines.  He also caddied at the Ogden Country Club during his high school years.  Following his time in the Marines he worked construction and tended bar at Richie’s, a bar and grill in Ogden.  During this time, he went back to college at Weber State College, where he graduated in 1970 with a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and also worked as a campus police officer.

In 1962 Sandy met the love of his life while on a blind date.  Jeanene Curtis, also a long-time Ogdenite, and a 1955 graduate of Ben Lomond High School, and dad, were both doing a friend a favor, but dad said he was so smitten that after their second date he knew that was the girl he wanted to marry.  After a nine-month courtship they eloped to Elko, Nevada where they were married on May 5, 1963.  Their marriage was later solemnized in the Ogden Utah Temple on June 14, 1986. Sandy and Jeanene were together for 59 years.  Jeanene was the daughter of Melvin William and Erma Petersen Curtis and she was born on June 9, 1937 in Moroni, Utah.  At the time she met Sandy she was a bookkeeper at Beuhler Bingham, a clothing store in Ogden, and later worked at Weber State as a dormitory manager while dad earned his degree (for years she said she earned that degree as much as he did).

Following graduation from Weber State the family moved to Twin Falls, Idaho where Sandy worked for Kellwood, a clothing manufacturing company.  During this time, he was heavily involved in Boy Scouts and coaching his son’s baseball and basketball teams, culminating in the 1980 Twin Falls Junior League baseball championship.

Kellwood closed their operations in late summer 1980 and the family moved to Farmington, Utah where Sandy worked as a Plant Manager for Pyke Manufacturing in Salt Lake City until 1985, and Jeanene worked for FHP, a health maintenance organization in Salt Lake City.  From 1985 to 1993 the adventures continued as dad moved for other manufacturing jobs in Washington state, Iowa, Wisconsin, and North Dakota where he was the CEO of a manufacturing plant for the Chippewa Tribe making native American Star Quilts.  Jeanene was the owner of a souvenir store at this time selling native American souvenirs.  In 1993, and for the next three years, Sandy and Jeanene worked as property managers in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Ogden and Layton, Utah before building a home in Clearfield, Utah in 1996.  Beginning in 1996 Jeanene worked for the Ogden Clinic until her retirement in 1999, and Sandy worked for manufacturing companies in Farmington, Utah until his retirement in 2004.

Sandy and Jeanene moved to a patio home in Layton, Utah in 2013 where they would live the rest of their lives enjoying retirement, and grandchildren.  Sandy and Jeanene were both active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints throughout their lives.  They were the proud parents of two sons:  Dirk Sandstrom (Lisa) of Chesapeake, Virginia, and Daren Sandstrom (Annette) of Taylorsville, Utah.  They also have five grandchildren:  Elisabeth Cotton (John), Matthew Sandstrom, Sarah Stephens (Garrett), Benjamin Sandstrom, and Curtis Sandstrom.

Jeanene passed away at home on May 10, 2021 of natural causes.

Sandy was preceded in death by his parents and his older sisters Betty Lowder and Carol White.  Jeanene was preceded in death by her parents.

Graveside services will be held Saturday, March 4, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. at Lindquist’s Memorial Gardens of the Wasatch, 1718 Combe Road, Ogden, Utah, with internment to follow, where he will join the love of his life to await the promised resurrection.  Friends may visit with family Saturday March 4 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. at Lindquist’s Layton Mortuary, 1867 No. Fairfield Rd., Layton, Utah, followed by family prayer prior to the graveside service.

Dirk and Daren would like to thank the many family members, friends, work colleagues, and church members that made their parent’s lives so enjoyable as well as the many health care professionals who cared for their parents throughout their lives.  They would especially like to thank the healthcare professionals at Layton Hospital, McKay-Dee Hospital, and Atlas Homecare and Hospice who provided care and support during their father’s difficult last week of life.

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