Richard "Dick" Sandberg

Richard “Dick” Sandberg, 89 of Moline, Illinois, passed away at Bickford Cottage, Moline, on Thursday, August 27, 2020, following an eight-year struggle with Alzheimer’s.

Cremation will take place at Trimble Crematory, Moline, under the direction of Trimble Funeral Home. Private entombment will be in Rock Island National Cemetery. Those wishing to honor him with a memorial can send it to the Rock Island County Historical Society Library Fund.

Dick was born November 30, 1930 in Moline, the son of Harry and Myrtle Larson Sandberg. He graduated from Moline High School Class of 1949. He married Barbara Eileen Miller of East Moline in 1957 and they recently celebrated their sixty-third wedding anniversary.

Dick was employed at John Deere Harvester Works for 35 years working as a tool designer retiring in 1984. He spent 1951 to 1954 in the U. S. Airforce achieving the rank of Airman First Class while stationed with post-World War II Occupation Forces in England and Germany. He was a long-time member of American Legion Post 246.

Dick was an avid gardener noted for his prize-winning dahlia blooms shown at the annual Tri-City Dahlia Society Shows at South Park Mall and also at local and state fairs as well as shows in Chicago, St. Louis and Madison Wisconsin. He served as President and as Treasurer for the Dahlia Society and was an accredited Dahlia Judge who enjoyed teaching others how to grow and judge these beautiful flowers.

Dick and Barbara both have been active promoting the Historic Preservation of Moline’s historic buildings. They are charter members of the Moline Preservation Society and Dick served as Society Treasure for many years. Dick enjoyed photographing older buildings and doing research to find and copy historic photos creating an extensive archival photo collection. He was also a member of the Rock Island County Historical Society, Landmarks Illinois and the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

Dick and Barbara enjoyed traveling both in the United States and in Europe. Following his retirement, they wintered on Siesta Key in Sarasota Florida enjoying the beautiful beach and biking on the areas scenic bike trails.

As members of the local Catfish Jazz Club, they enjoyed dancing to Big Band music and were loyal followers of the Manny Lopez Big Band.

Those left to cherish his memory are his wife Barbara; daughter, Sherri of Davis, California; son, David of Aurora, Illinois; and his four grandchildren, Linnea and Sylvan Ransom, and Trevor and Madeline Sandberg. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother Robert Sandberg.

The family invites friends to share stories and condolences at TrimbleFuneralHomes.com.