William D. Sand

Funeral Service is 10:30 am Wednesday, December 9, 2015, at St. Joseph's Catholic Church, Friend, with Fr. Lawrence Stoley officiating. Interment with military services will be at Washington City Cemetery, Washington, KS. Rosary is 7:00 p.m. Tuesday at Lauber-Moore Funeral Home, Friend. Visitation is Tuesday, 1-8:00 p.m. at the funeral home. Pallbearers are: Ronnie and Quentin Ouellette, Tyler and Shawn St. Louis, Dave Jensby and Chris Wendlant. Memorials have been established to the St. Joseph's Catholic Church, or the American Legion, both of Friend. Lauber-Moore Funeral Home, Friend, is entrusted with the care and arrangements.

William "Bill" Dee Sand was born on October 2, 1926, in Odell, Nebraska to Louis J. and Doris M. (Muth) Sand, the oldest of five children, and passed away on Friday, December 4, 2015, at the Fairview Manor in Fairmont, Nebraska at the age of 89.
Bill attended Odell Public School and graduated with the class of 1943. During his high school years, Bill took over the responsibility of publishing the Odell Oracle, making him the youngest newspaper editor in the state of Nebraska. After attending high school, Bill then attended Doane College in Crete and also worked for the Wymore Arbor State Newspaper. During his second year of college, his uncle, Ab, the father of four children, was drafted to serve in WWII. This prompted Bill to leave college and join the United States Army. Bill served overseas in both the Philippines and Japan. After he returned from the service, he worked at the Washington County Register in Washington, Kansas where he met Leona Marie Ouellette and married the love of his life on August 26, 1948 in Greenleaf, KS. Three children, James, Richard and Lisa were born to this union. Bill was recalled back to active duty during the Korean Conflict and spent time at military installations in Texas, California and Washington. After his discharge, they returned to Nebraska to resume his lifelong work in the newspaper field. Bill worked at several newspapers, including: The York Republican, O'Neill Frontier, Fairbury Journal, Beatrice Times and the Blue Valley Blade in Seward. He purchased his first newspaper in Exeter, Nebraska, the Fillmore County News, in 1954. In 1959, he purchased the Friend Sentinel and the Sand family moved to Friend where all three children graduated from high school. Bill sold the Sentinel in 1985, however, he continued to work there including running the hand-fed presses until his middle 80's. As a lifelong newspaperman, Bill experienced significant change in the printing industry. His experiences in the industry started with hand set type, linotype operations, hand-fed presses and evolved to automated off-set presses and computerized type-setting machines. He was awarded the "Golden Pica Pole" award from the Nebraska Press Association in 1998 to recognize his 50 years as a member of the Nebraska Press Association.
Bill was very active in the Friend community. He served as a volunteer weather observer with the US Weather Service and was recognized with the John Campanius Holm Award for his 45 years of service. He was associated with the Salvation Army, was a member of the Friend American Legion Ford-Banka Post #183, and also the VFW. Bill attended St Joseph's Catholic Church in Friend.
Survivors include his son, Richard "Rick", Huntsville, Al; daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Shawn St. Louis, Friend; grandchildren, Angela Lopez, and her husband, Antonio, El Paso, TX, Michelle Sand, Myrtle Beach, SC, Jessica St. Louis, Lincoln, Tyler St. Louis, Friend, Shelia Velazquez, Colorado Springs, CO and 7 great-grandchildren; brothers, Bob Sand and wife Dorie, Hanover, KS, Dallas Shafer, Holyoke, CO; a sister, Jackie Jones, Gretna, NE; brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, Diana and Greg Fell, Camden, MO, Sharon and Gary Keeler, Baldwin City, KS, Dean and Delores Ouellette, Seward, Larry and Diane Ouellette, Washington, KS, Loretta Hinkle, McPherson, KS, James and Peg Ouellette, Oxford, NE, nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of other relatives and friends.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Louis Sand and Doris Sand-Shafer; his wife, Leona in 2014, a son, James; a sister, Jamie Pangburn; brothers-in-law, Walt Hinkle, Ronnie Eaton; and a sister-in-law, Janet Shafer. SERVICES Funeral Service Wednesday, December 09, 2015
10:30 AM St. Joseph Catholic Church
403 4th Street
Friend, Nebraska 68359