Richard Sands

Richard L. Sands, 76, of Rochester passed away Saturday, December 15 due to heart failure. Richard Lyle Sands was born November 23, 1942 to Jackson and Nadine (Hayes) Sands in St. Louis, MO. Richard moved quite a bit in his childhood, living in Missouri, Illinois, Maryland, Arkansas, and Colorado. He was incredibly bright and skipped several grades in high school, graduating early at age 16 in Damascus, Maryland. He then joined the United States Air Force, where he worked on electronics; following his service Richard started working for IBM in Colorado. He was married to Jackie Hankel, and the couple later divorced. Richard was then united in marriage to Kathryn Martin in 1973. The couple lived in Colorado until moving to Rochester in 1978 where Richard continued to work for IBM as a program manager. He retired in 1995, although Richard continued to work by starting his own computer business, as well as working for both Pemstar and IBM until 2011, co-authoring several patents during his first "retirement". He was a history buff, enjoyed trains and muscle cars, liked watching birds, had a great collection of candles, memorized all 4 gospels in the Bible, and was a whiz at computers, building many for his family through the years. He loved travelling with his wife and family, and took immense pride in his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He will always be remembered for his brilliance, quick wit, fun-loving attitude, warm hugs, and the great joy he took in spending time with family. We take comfort in knowing he is resting in the arms of Jesus. Richard is survived by his wife Kathryn, his children, Mike (Michelle) Sands of Arvada, CO, April (Bill) Bernard of Littleton, CO, Trudy Sands of Arvada, CO, Heather (Gary) Privett of Sioux Falls, SD, Kristi (Chris) Clay of Blaine, MN, Sarah (John) Carlson of Rochester, Rachel (Tim) Lacine of Rochester, Jason (Ginger) Sands of Pine Island, MN, Jared (Rebecca) Sands of Rochester, and Aaron (Lexi Moeschter) Sands of Minneapolis. He is also survived by twenty-three grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren, sister Susan, and two brothers Michael (Vickie) Sands, and Bob Sands. He was preceded in death by his parents. Celebration of Life service will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday December 20, 2018 at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes with Pastor Rod Marquette officiating. Visitation will be held Wednesday December 19, 2018 from 4:00-7:00 PM at Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Homes and one hour prior to the service on Thursday. Burial with full military honors will be at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis. Memorials are preferred to Christian Appalachian Project. To leave a special memory or condolence please visit www.ranfranzvinefh.com Ranfranz and Vine Funeral Home 5421 Royal Place NW Rochester, MN 55901 (507) 289-3600