A Tribute to my Father Gilbert Sandberg by Karen

A Tribute to my Father, Gilbert Sandberg

By Karen Sandberg Woodson



I heard my father, Gilbert Ivar Sandberg, joke that the most common compliment he received from his children was something like, “Dad, one of the best things about you is your willingness to change.” Most likely this thought originated from memorable talks my father gave as stake president with the themes, “It is never too late to change your old, evil ways” and “I reserve the right to be a better man today than yesterday.” But it is not just what we heard him say during our growing up years, it was how we saw him live. Truly, my father’s willingness to learn from painful experiences, then work towards improving his relationships with people and his relationship with the Lord is what I most admire about him.

As I learn about my father’s past, I realize he has always been a good man despite the difficult experiences he had even as a child. I have seen how losing a parent early in life seems to impede some people’s progress. So I admire how my father was able to turn to the Gospel, to family, and to community for comfort even as an eight year old child when his father suddenly died in a car accident. He made good choices as an adolescent and young adult, having goals which led him to serve a mission in Australia, marry my mother, and study to receive his master’s degree in Electrical Engineering.

His commitment to Church and family has continued throughout his life. As I child I have fond memories of dancing with him, planting a garden together each spring, and telling me the family-favorite stories he learned from his father: “The Moose and the Cherry Tree,” the “Ox and the Church Bell,” and the “Old Lady’s Fur Coat.” I appreciate his ongoing desire to have a personal relationship with his children, grandchildren, siblings, in-laws, nieces, and nephews. For example, he has sent out a weekly letter for many years to connect with the important people in his life.

My father continues to be willing to go through uncomfortable changes to be able to serve more effectively. I know it was hard for him to have a recent hip surgery, but he said he wanted to do it to be able to walk with my mother and to serve the Lord on another mission. I admire his willingness to learn Spanish and extend his original mission commitment to serve for 3 ½ years in Guatemala. My personal relationship with him is better than it has ever been as he has patiently helped me work through some of our past disagreements with his understanding and patience.

I enjoy spending time with my father. My husband, son and I appreciate the opportunity to live with him, from the early morning summaries he gives of the local newspaper, to the late evening card games we play with him. I like how he wants his posterity to know about his heritage by writing his father’s life history, about his testimony of the Gospel, about his value for learning, and about the benefits of life-long growth and progress. He is a good man and keeps getting better.