Sandra Torske Wigdahl, age 80 of Blair, passed away July 9, 2022. Memorial services will be held Thursday July 14, at 2 p.m. at Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair. Visitation will be held prior to services beginning at 12 p.m.
Sandra Torske Wigdahl was born to Joseph Torske and Ester Ada (Naylor) Torske on Feb. 16, 1942, in their home in rural Hardin, Mont. Her family were wheat and barley farmers and from a tender age she learned to drive the Studebaker truck and the International “M” tractor to haul grain and “rod weed” the stubble fields as well as other chores around the farm.
Sandra attended both elementary and secondary school in Hardin. She was extremely active in school functions especially those involving music and acting. Had one read her graduation note in her senior year book her wit, sense of humor and writing skills would have been obvious. After graduation from Hardin High School in 1960, Sandra went to College at Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. She graduated from Concordia in 1964 with a major in English and minor in social studies.
In 1963, Sandra and LeRoy Wigdahl were married in Hardin. Sandra had the opportunity to travel throughout Europe and the United States while LeRoy was in the Army. One of her fondest memories was visiting relatives in Norway and being able to walk the ancestral farm which her paternal grandfather Lars had talked about when she was younger.
In 1969, Sandra’s first son Matthew was born, followed two years later by Nathan. She wanted to be a stay-at-home mom and watch them grow and develop into young men. As the boys progressed in school, Sandra was asked to teach Business English at UNL when the boys were in school. She taught for almost 10 years.
Sandra and LeRoy moved to Blair in 1991 after building a house in rural Blair. There she tended cats, dogs, horses, deer, turkeys and wild birds as well as the occasional cow/calf pair.
With the boys in college or away with new jobs, Sandra sought employment. She worked for a short time at Mutual of Omaha in the claims department and the Blair newspaper. After that, she took a job in Public Relations at Dana College with Phil Pagel and Burke Petersen. She worked there for several years and then went to work for Reward Wall Company in their Public Relations office. At both Dana and Reward she was able to refine her writing skills and management techniques.
In 2006 Sandra retired and instead of going on a world cruise, she decided to volunteer at the Danish American Archive and Library and renew old friendships with Dana connections. She kept her writing skills sharp by doing consulting work for various businesses, as well as creating media and marketing materials for the nonprofit that her son and daughter-in-law started.
When asked what was her biggest joy in life, she quickly responded that it was watching her two boys, Matthew and Nathan, grow from infants to adults. She was extremely proud of the men they became. She quickly also added her grandchildren. Her greatest wish was to watch them grow into adulthood.
Sandra is survived by her husband LeRoy, her sister Janice Heath and brother Larry Torske, her sons Matthew and Nathan and their wives Robin and Julie, and her five grandchildren Thomas, Brooke, Katherine, Brody, and Jonathan Wigdahl. She was preceded in death by her mother and father, Ada and Joseph Torske, and by her brother Eric Torske.
Campbell Aman Funeral Home in Blair is in charge of arrangements.
