Richard "Sandy" Sanderson

Richard F. "Sandy" Sanderson, 81, of Waukon, IA, died Saturday, February 4, 2012, at Veterans Memorial Hospital in Waukon. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, February 7th, at 11:00 AM at St. John's Lutheran Church in Waukon, with Rev. Lynn G. Groe officiating. Burial will be at Oakland Cemetery, Waukon. Friends may call from 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM Monday at Martin Funeral Home in Waukon.

Richard Francis Sanderson was born January 13, 1931 in rural Ridgeway, IA, the son of Fred and Mabel (Magnus) Sanderson. He was baptized and confirmed at Peace Lutheran Church in Ridgeway. Richard attended rural country schools in the Ridgeway area and graduated from Ridgeway High School in 1949. On January 28, 1952 he married Elsie Hunter in Cresco, IA. Richard worked with his brother Merlin in the plumbing and heating business in Ridgeway. Richard and Elsie moved to Decorah, IA, where he worked for Luther College in the maintenance department. They moved to Waukon in 1958 where he worked for Interstate Power Company from 1957 to 1993 as a lineman.


Richard was a member of St. John's Lutheran Church where he served on the parish council and was a past president and ushered for special services. He was currently the president of the Waukon Burial Grounds Association. Richard was also a member of the Allamakee Sportsmen's Club. He enjoyed spending time fishing, hunting, mushroom hunting and gardening. Richard and Elsie collected and sold antiques. He also enjoyed spending time with his family, especially his grandchildren and following the Iowa Hawkeyes and the NFL.

Survivors include his wife, Elsie of Waukon; 6 children, Diane (John) Vanis of Central City, IA, Bev (Jim) Petska of Cedar Rapids, IA, Dave (Wendy) Sanderson of Waukon, Sue (Bruce) Tointon of Eyota, MN, Dennis (Penny) Sanderson of Eau Claire, WI and Alan (Chris) Sanderson of Wentzville, MO; 10 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; a granddaughter, Melanie Sue Sanderson and a brother, Merlin.