Robert Sand

Funeral Services for Robert ?Bob? Sand, 91, of Killdeer will be 11:00 a.m., Tuesday, June 29, 2010, at St. John?s Lutheran Church with Pastor Joel Sauerwein officiating. Burial will be in the Whetstone Cemetery. A Prayer Service will be held at 7:00 p.m., Monday, June 28, 2010, at the Stevenson Funeral Home in Killdeer. Another veteran of World War II has left us. Robert R. “Bob” Sand passed away on Friday, June 25, 2010, at his home in Killdeer, North Dakota, with his loving family by his side. Bob was born on June 6, 1919, in a homestead shack on the east fork of Wolf Creek, north of Wolf Point, Montana. He was the youngest of 4 children born to Christ and Clara (Weber) Sand. His siblings were Vivian (Sand) Sugden, Bill and Chris Sand. When he was barely a year old, his mother died, and Bob was sent to live with his paternal grandparents. At age 8, he moved back to the Wolf Point homestead to live with his father and other siblings. Bob began high school in 1932, but dropped out to herd sheep. He later went back to Wolf Point High School and graduated in 1939. He married Edna Helen Nupen, of Whetstone, North Dakota, on September 19, 1942 at the United Lutheran Church in Grand Forks, North Dakota. Bob received his undergraduate degree from UND in May 1943. The first of four children, Roberta Rae, was born and died while Bob was away at war. Bob felt that Roberta?s death, as tragic as it was, plus his battle injuries, may have saved his own life, as he was returned to the United States to recuperate at a military hospital in Colorado Springs. Upon release he taught military science at South Dakota State University. As an infantry platoon leader in the European Theater during World War II, he received a Purple Heart and Cluster and a Bronze Star for heroic achievement in combat. He earned a master?s degree from the University of ND in 1952. Bob was a social worker in several capacities. He retired as Chief United States Probation Officer, District of North Dakota. After his retirement, they built a summer cabin in the Killdeer Mountains. A lifelong horseman, Bob has served as a Trustee with the North Dakota Cowboy Hall of Fame since its inception. Together, Bob and Edna were involved with the Bismarck Horse Club, Fifty Years in the Saddle, DeMores Riders, and Badlands Trail Riders. They were active in musical and church groups and participated in the development of the Dunn County Historical Museum. They served as Grand Marshals of the 2008 Killdeer Mountains Round-Up Rodeo. His parents, his siblings, and his daughter, Roberta Rae, preceded Bob in death. Bob is survived by Edna, his wife of 67 years. His children: Christi (Ken) Neuens, Longmont, Colorado, Robert “Rob? (Mary), Killdeer, North Dakota, and Josh (Coral), Spearfish, South Dakota. His grandchildren: Christopher (Hana) Sand, Dunn Center, North Dakota, Sarah (Mike) Dunlop, Lynchburg, Virginia, Kelly (Alex) Kurz, Longmont, Colorado, Jennifer Sand, Spearfish, South Dakota, Kirby (Megan) Sand, Corvallis, Oregon. Great-grandchildren: Hannah & Lilijana Kurz, Connor, Andrew, and Owen Dunlop, Jefferson & Cora Sand. The family would like to thank Heartland Hospice for their loving and compassionate care. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any memorials be given in Bob?s memory to the High Plains Cultural Center in Killdeer for the benefit of the community he loved. Giving options are outlined at www.highplainsculturalcenter.com. Cards may be sent to Edna at 301 Fifth Avenue, N.W., Killdeer, ND 58640.


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Burial Date: June 29, 2010