Details

Collection Summary
Collection: FND001 - SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Series: Tribute
Folder: DIG
Item: 271932
Title: Joseph T. L. Sandgren
Date: 7/2/1948-11/10/2025
Creator:
Inscription/Marks: 7/2/1948
Summary: Joseph Thomas Leroy Sandgren, 77, of Hettinger, ND, passed from this life to be with his heavenly family on November 10, 2025, at Western Horizons Care Center after a two-year plus health battle. A funeral service was held November 15, 2025, at Assembly of God Church, Hettinger. Joe was born on July 2, 1948, in Aberdeen, SD, to Herb and Marjorie (Hobaugh) Sandgren. He was the last of eight kids and so he might have been a little spoiled by the siblings! Joe loved growing up on the farm with his large family. He attended his grade school years as a country school boy at Fredlund School. Joe graduated in 1967 from Hettinger High School and promptly entered the National Guard, proudly serving for seven years. In January 1972 Joe married Lucy Beld and over the next seven years, four more Sandgren children came into the world. Thomas (Tom) Leroy, the eldest, was born in 1973, quickly followed by Terry Lee in 1975, Tanya LeAnn in 1977, and three years later along came Tracy Lynn. If you notice, the initials of the four kids are all TLS. Joe mentioned to Lucy when they started having kids, "What about using my middle initials for each of our kids' names." Thus, the infamous TLS initials were started! Marriage for the couple started in Hettinger but it didn't take long for Joe to want to return to the family farm. Within two years Joe and Lucy started buying the family farm and raising not only cows and hogs, but their kids. Joe's love of the family farm had come full circle by raising his own children on the same homestead he had spent his childhood years. Eventually Joe and Lucy parted ways and Joe moved into Hettinger, selling the family farm in 2001. Through the next 22 years, Joe kept busy doing one of his favorite activities, driving! His passion for being behind the wheel led him to a position transporting railroad workers between depots. This job also provided him with the opportunity to socialize, and many of the crew members likely heard his many stories over the years. Joe's love of driving eventually inspired him to establish his own successful business, "Papa Joe's Shuttle," at age 70. When he wasn't driving shuttle services, he enjoyed socializing over coffee with friends, participating in bingo on Friday nights in Lemmon, SD, or playing video games at local establishments. Joe's greatest joy was spending quality time with his grandchildren. He cherished sharing breakfast with them and making memorable moments. He was always attentive, offering hugs and telling stories to brighten their day. Additionally, he enjoyed sharing lighthearted humor, often including a well-timed "dad joke." Joe experienced a stroke in 2023, which resulted in his being admitted to a nursing facility in Hettinger. While Joe hated cats, he must have had nine lives as there were numerous times during the next two years that we didn't think Joe would make it but he did, still able to share a smile or a smirk right up to the end. Grateful for being a part of Joe's life are his three surviving children: Terry (Stacy) Sandgren, Tanya Sandgren, and Tracy Sandgren. He also leaves behind eight grandchildren: Zach and Kevin (Paige) Sandgren, Hannah and Tugger Sandgren, KaLee, Brayden, and Devin Mitchell, as well as Brock Rhoads and Allie McGinnis; and two great-grandchildren, Lincoln and Luna. Additionally, he is survived by his brother, John (Sharon); sister-in-law, Evy; daughter-in-law, Melissa; and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. Joe was preceded in death by his parents; son, Tom, who passed in 2017 and was probably patiently waiting for his dad by the heavenly gates; brothers, Bud (Thelma), David (Elaine), Paul, George; and sisters, Phyllis and Shirley (Albert) Weaver. Go rest easy, Papa! We will see you soon!
Red ID: FND_I_79426 Image ID: 540181 Image Notes: FND001 271932

Collection: FND001 Digitized Images from Collection
Title: SHSND Foundation - North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program
Date: -

Summary: The North Dakota Heritage Family Memorial Program is sponsored by the North Dakota Funeral Directors Association. The life stories of deceased North Dakotans are featured in an archvied collection. Current partners in the project are Eastgate Funeral & Cremation Services, Bismarck Evans Funeral Homes, Carrington and New Rockford Everson-Coughlin Funeral Home, Williston Fulkerson Funeral Home, Tioga Fulkerson Funeral Home, Watford City Fulkerson Stevenson Funeral Home, Williston Nero Funeral Home, Bottineau Parkway Funeral Service, Bismarck Springan Stevenson Funeral Home, Stanley Stevenson Funeral Home, Dickinson These funeral homes provide recent obituaries to the Foundation, where staff and volunteers format, edit and archive each memorial. The memorials are posted, and copies are sent to the family for their input and approval. The listing currently features more than 13,000 memorials, and is constantly updated as new memorials and histories are received.

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