Grace Marianne Finstrom Sandberg, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, entered into a new life with the Lord on Friday, May 22, 2015 in Irving, Texas at the age of 84. Grace, the oldest of two children, was born on December 4, 1930 in Chicago, Illinois to the late beloved Carl and Christiana Finstrom.
She was faithfully married to her loving husband, Frits Henry Sandberg on August 16, 1958, at Woodside Chapel in Chicago, Illinois. Grace and her husband raised their three children in Garden Grove, California. She was a devoted mother and wife.
Grace graduated from Wheaton College with a BA in Elementary Education in 1951. She received her Masters degree in Elementary Education from Northwestern University in 1956. Grace loved to travel. She taught for the US Air Force Dependents schools in Toul-Rosiere, France, Erding, Germany, and Tachikawa, Japan. After raising her children, she returned to teaching. In 1990, she received a California Bilingual Certificate of Competency in Spanish to teach in kindergarten at Hooper Elementary in South Central Los Angeles. After she retired, she continued to be substitute teacher in the Garden Grove school district.
Grace combined her unwavering faith in God and love of teaching into volunteering countless hours for Child Evangelism Fellowship International. Through teaching weekly children’s bible clubs, training other teachers, and holding committee positions, Grace shared her beliefs with countless children and adults. She was a dedicated member of the Westminster Bible Chapel for 48 years.
In her later years, Grace spent her time adoring her 6 grandchildren, sharing bible stories and songs with her grandchildren, travelling with her friends and relatives, attending Christian Women’s Club and participating in bible studies. She truly enjoyed talking to everyone, being timely, staying organized, writing thank you notes, sending birthday cards, listening to Christian radio shows, drinking Frappuccino, eating chocolate, and most of all, sharing her faith with others.
Grace is survived by her three children: Eric of Ogallala, Nebraska, Karin (Tom) Friday of Irving Texas, and Frits (Annie) of Castle Rock, Colorado; her grandchildren, Nicholas, Trevor, and Frits Matthew Sandberg; Abigail, Samantha, and Jessica Friday; her loyal brother, Carl (Joanne) Finstrom of Williamsburg, Virginia and nieces, Lisa Finstrom of Brooklyn, New York, and Julie (Jeff) Salzwedel of Grandville, Michigan, grandnieces Mary (Eric) Roelofs and Emily Salzwedel and grandnephews Carl and Eric Sanford. Grace also leaves many cousins and other relatives in the U. S., Canada, Sweden and Norway.
She is predeceased by her husband, Frits, her parents, Carl and Christiana Finstrom, and nephew Carl Erik Finstrom.
She will be profoundly missed by all of us and will be remembered fondly for her love of family and passion to spread the Word of God.
A Christian funeral service will take place at 10 a.m. on Monday, June 1, 2015, at the Westminster Memorial Chapel, 14801 Beach Blvd, Westminster, California. A graveside service will be followed by a reception.
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