Age: 86
June 11, 1936 – December 12, 2022
The Sand girls announce the passing of their dad, Sylverius “Syl” Anthony Sand, on the morning of December 12, 2022. He passed peacefully at 86 years of age in his home surrounded by his daughters. Services for Syl will be held at 11 AM on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in St. Cloud. The visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the church. The funeral will also be live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page. Arrangements are being made with Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes.
Syl was born on his family farm in Stearns County to Leo and Catharina Sand along with 12 brothers and sisters. He had a passion for numbers, loved math riddles, and easily remembered baseball statistics. When asked how old he was, he never gave a straight answer. He’d say, “I was 11 years old on June 11, 1947.”
Growing up, Syl walked a mile to and from school each day, hiding behind his brothers to keep warm. When he could, he’d ride his pony Sammy to school. He graduated from Melrose High School & Morris Ag School. After graduation, Syl worked for his dad on the family farm and played ball for New Munich and later, for Roscoe. Syl taught himself how to play piano along with the accordion and guitar. He loved a good sing along and never passed by a piano without at least one chorus of “Betsy the Heifer” or “No Beer Today”. His fondness for music led him to playing in a band.
Syl proudly enlisted in the United States Army on his 21st birthday. Upon returning home in 1962, he began his lifelong career in carpentry. Just one year later, Syl met Carolyn (Carrie) Schefers at a wedding he had crashed with a buddy. Syl and Carrie were married on October 10, 1964. He and Carrie built new homes for their growing family, welcoming a new daughter at each new home.
The family planted their roots in the St. Cloud area where they raised their 4 daughters Deb, Dee, Tracey, and Tonya. When Syl wasn’t working (which was rare), he enjoyed fishing, playing 500, singing, playing or watching baseball, and spending time with good people at the cabin. He water skied at age 70, ice skated at age 80, and obsessed about caring for his home and the cabin. He loved to celebrate his summer birthday with family and friends and a fish fry.
He was a quirky storyteller that told (and retold!) his greatest hits to anyone that would listen. He shared fish stories, rehashed games of 500, talked about the horse he owned at Canturbury, his many building projects, his travels, and the ol’ classic, his famous train accident.
Syl was preceded in death by his wife, Carrie (November 9, 2012), his parents, his siblings Pauline (Herman) Kruschek, Joan (Jim) Otto, Eddie (Betty), Lucille, Ervin (Betty), Vern, Maynard, Bert, Marlene (Sy) Determan Benkowski, Jerome, his in‐laws Clarence Enneking, Orville (Carol) Schefers, Art Schloeder, Charlie Schefers, and many close friends that feel like family.
He is survived by his sisters Flo (Ray) Mayers, Jean Enneking and his in‐laws Eileen, Mel, Lorraine, Donna, Hub (Joan) Schefers, and Mari Schloeder. He is also survived by his four daughters, Deb (Tom) Heile, Dee (Dave) Johnson, Tracey (Rich) Belmont, and Tonya (Artie) Huber, and 10 grandchildren, Ella, Sara, Jack, Mike, Elizabeth, Kaitlyn, Eric, Luke, Ryan and Andy.
We love you dad and “take care”.
Schedule and Information
Memorial Video
Tap on the Facebook icon to be directed over to Holy Spirit Catholic Church’s Facebook page for the live-streamed event.
Visitation and Service Details
Services for Syl will be held at 11 AM on Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in St. Cloud. The visitation will be held one hour prior to the services at the church. The funeral will also be live-streamed on the church’s Facebook page. Arrangements are being made with Miller-Carlin Funeral Homes.
Visitation and Service Location
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
2405 Walden Way, St. Cloud, MN 56301
3 Comments. Leave new
I always had fun with Syl – his practical jokes (left-handed hammer when I was 10) always begin with my expectations of his wisdom!! 😉
Rest in peace!! Best wishes for the family and friends!!
Maybe the best way to remember my Uncle Syl is to tell a few more stories about him. Being the second oldest of all his nephews…and I like to think his favorite???, I kinda grew up with him. He was about 8 years older and thought of him kinda as a big brother. I spent many times on Grandpa Leo’s farm in New Munich on weekends, school vacations and summers. The summer after 8th grade, Grandpa hired me for the summer…$50/month plus room and board…I was a rich kid. It wasn’t the money, it was spending those 3 months with grandpa and my Uncle Syl that made me rich and forged so many of life’s lessons and memories that I still carry with me today.
Here’s one story that my cousin Ann Sand told me. Back in the early 1960s Mom (Mel) and Dad (Maynard) bought a used piano from somebody in St. Cloud. Dad asked Syl to go with him to pick it up, and once they loaded the piano in the back of Dad’s pickup, Syl stayed in the back of the truck, and he played the piano all the way home! That would have been fun to see. I hope as they made their way through St Cloud, some people got to see it! Likely singing “Betsy the Heifer” and a few of his favorite songs too.
I was so fortunate to be in St. Cloud a few months ago in August while Syl was in the hospital. We had several hours over two days to visit, share stories and memories. He was so sharp and could remember every date and detail. We talked and laughed a lot. We both loved baseball and would often text back and forth,
I left him the following card at the hospital with a few of the stories that I remembered.
Dear Uncle Syl,
Thanks for all you have done for me all these years from the time I was a teenage kid back in the 50’s. You taught me to drive tractors and use that old pick-up to get the mail down the road. Then we went to the VA on the other side of Minneapolis through traffic. When we went to go back, he said “you drive” and let me drive his new car all the way back to New Munich…musta been a scary time for him with this teenage kid and crazy Twin Cities traffic, but he never said a word…just let me learn! I remembered that lesson as I taught my own kids how to drive many years later.
I also remember him driving that old ’53 Ford pick-up “way to fast” after some New Munich baseball games…and he just said “don’t tell grandpa”? (haha…and I didn’t)
I remember the year I worked for Grandpa and he told Syl that he could plant corn rows straighter with the horses then Syl could with the tractor. They both planted several acres…not sure who won that bet though…I’m thinking it was probably grandpa? Knowing Syl, he likely agreed.
In later years when Syl lived in St. Cloud I always had a place to stay when coming to Minnesota. So much fun going fishing with him and his fish fries at the lake cabin. Man, we caught a lotta fish. When you went fishing with Syl, the fish were always biting no matter the time of day…never too early in the day though. Then it was cleaning fish in the garage. A specific ritual about exactly how it had to be done. Then freezing on ice for the next fish fry. But he always sent a few home with me too.
For several years, I always went up north to a friend of my son Paul’s cabin to have a father, son, grandfather weekend with my family. One time about 3 years ago, the cabin’s owner couldn’t go and he had the boat. So I explained it to Syl and asked him to go. Of, course…a chance to go fishing. So, we pulled his boat up there, caught 100’s of fish ’cause they just follow him around wherever he goes like a fish magnet. More importantly, he taught Paul, my grandson Alex and I how to play 500 and we played a lot of card games that weekend….another great Syl memory and a fun time..
So many good memories of Uncle Syl that will stay with me forever. I was blessed with a lot of great Sand Uncles, but you Syl are the bestest. Thanks for always being there for me.
Love you Uncle…and will miss you… but, I’m thinking God needed another accordion and piano player to accompany the angels, so he looked down here on earth and took the very best.
“The Journey Home”
There is a path that leads to a turn in the road,
and we each must travel there,
where the Father waits to take us home to the shelter of his care…
Where happiness and peace and joy replace the tears and pain,
And our loved ones rest in the arms of God to sweetly live again.
“To Syl’s Family”
Praying God will hold you close, and gently ease your sorrow, heal your heart and strengthen you for every tomorrow.
Love You,
Cousin Gene
I wanted to send my condolences to uncle syle’s family for your loss. I am so sorry that I could not be at the visitation nor the funeral for I was working Driving school bus that Day. I hope everything went ok & as planned. I hope to see you cousins & any other sand relatives soon at another sand family get together.