Roger Sandhorst

Roger W. Sandhorst, 65, of Atlantic, Iowa, passed away Thursday, March 5, 2015, at his home.

Roger was born June 9, 1949, to Ralph and Pauline (Waldau) Sandhorst of Wiota, IA. He was raised on the farm and attended school in Wiota. He also attended two years in Anita, which is where he met his wife Sharon. When his parents moved to Atlantic, he attended Atlantic High School and graduated in 1967.

Following graduation Roger and Sharon moved to Omaha, NE, where he was employed with Omaha Steel as a welder. On August 11, 1968, Roger and Sharon were united in marriage at the First Lutheran Church in Wiota, IA. Not fond of the big city life, they moved back to Atlantic where he was employed with Camblin Plumbing & Heating for 14 years.

Roger was drafted into the Army in 1969 and served a year in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged in 1971 and returned to work at Camblins.

In 1982, he began employment with Cass County Memorial Hospital as an engineer and later became the Director of Plant Operations. In 2013, he was recognized by the Iowa Hospital Association as a Hospital Hero. Roger, along with nine other hospital employees, was chosen from the hospital workers across the state of Iowa to receive this honor. Various hospital employees, a team of people from the construction company he worked closely with during the renovation projects, along with his wife, kids, son-in-law and a granddaughter attended the ceremony in Des Moines to see him receive this special award. Roger is only the second facilities manager to earn this distinction. He took a lot of pride in his work, enjoyed his job, and believed he had the best team of co-workers anyone could ask for.

Roger was an avid hunter; he and his son, Matt looked forward every year to hunting. Roger could never sit still; he was always looking for something to repair or cleanup around the house, especially his lawn and vehicles. He enjoyed reading American history and watching the History channel. In 2008, he and Sharon, along with their kids and two grandsons, took a trip to Washington D.C. to view all the war memorials. For him to be able to see the Vietnam Memorial, while there, was truly a bittersweet moment.

Family meant a lot to Roger and he enjoyed attending the grandkid’s events. He was a great, easy going guy who loved good conversation with friends and family and was always there to help any of them if they needed him.

Roger is survived by his wife, Sharon; daughter, Angela (John) Kay of Atlantic, and their children Dylan, Daniel and Anna Kay; son Matthew (Jayme Farver) Sandhorst of Wiota, and their children, Madisen Sandhorst and Austen and Nolan Farver; sisters, Donnis (Wayne) Kessler of Atlantic, Janet (Gene) Larsen of Walnut; brother Eugene Sandhorst of Atlantic; brothers-in-law, Harold Wahlert of Atlantic, Jack (Donna) Shannon of Omaha, NE, Lyle (Marcia)Shannon of Washington, NE, Clark “Butch” Shannon of Kansas City, MO and Rellen “Skip” (Phyllis) Shannon of Parkville, MO; sisters-in-law, Hannah Shannon, Maurine (Dwight) Gard and Ada (Robert) Scarff all of Omaha, NE; along with many nieces and nephews.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Pauline Sandhorst; father and mother-in-law, Maurice and Mary Shannon; brother and sister-in-law, Harvey and Betty Sandhorst; brothers-in-law, Wayne Shannon and Gail Shannon; and sister-in-law, Mary Wahlert.

Celebration of Life services will be held 11:00 a.m., March 11, 2015, at Zion Lutheran Church with Pastor Ken Davidson, officiating. Family will meet friends and relatives at the church one hour prior to service time.

Signing of the Guest Book is available from 9 A.M. to 11 A.M., Saturday, 12 P.M. to 3 P.M., Sunday, and from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM Monday and Tuesday.

Roland Funeral Service is caring for Roger's family and the arrangements. Condolences may be left at rolandfuneralservice.com.