Dale Eric Sandstrom

Dale Eric Sandstrom, 92, passed peacefully from this world at 12:25 pm Christmas Day 2022. He was surrounded by loving family members at the home of his youngest daughter Polly (Sandstrom) Jackson and her husband Jerry in Crestview Florida. Dale long looked forward to the day he would give Jesus a hug and rejoin his beloved wife Janet who preceded him on the journey.

Born in Stockholm Maine on February 22, 1930, to Eric and Astrid Sandstrom, Dale was baptized at the Lutheran church in Stockholm. Dale grew up on a potato farm and graduated from Caribou High School in 1947. At that time Dale began dating Janet Hede and they started planning for their future. Dale left Maine in the spring of 1950 to travel to Alaska, willing to do anything except be a potato farmer. He soon found work in construction and began a long career building bridges and docks. It has been estimated that Dale worked on 115 bridges and many docks throughout the state of Alaska. This means that almost any person who has lived in Alaska since that time has crossed a bridge or dock that Dale built.

In 1950 Dale was working on a bridge at Tolsona Creek, just outside of Glenallen Alaska, when he received a letter from Janet. Janet was apparently impatient waiting for Dale and so sent him a fabricated “dear john” letter feigning affection for another man. It did the trick, Dale arrived in Stockholm December 13, 1950, and began pursuing Janet’s favor anew. Dale and Janet were married March 10,1951. Dale and Janet enjoyed 66 years of marriage.

Returning to Alaska in 1952 as a newly married couple, Dale worked construction jobs around the state with Janet by his side. They decided to move to Cordova Alaska in the spring of 1955. Dale started his own construction company and worked hard building his business and beginning to raise a family. Dale and Janet attended a church called The Little Chapel, pastored by Alex Kvasnikoff and his wife Percola. It was at the Kvasnikoff’s home in 1956 that Dale and Janet gave their lives to the Lord. This decision had a profound impact on Dale, the life of his family, and countless others.

Dale and the family moved to Anchorage Alaska for a couple of years in 1965 then returned to Cordova from 1967 to 1973. The family left Cordova for the final time in 1973 and lived in Anchorage for two years before accepting an opportunity that meant moving to Willow Alaska.

The opportunity was the role of lay Pastor at Willow Chapel starting in August of 1975. What was to be a short-term position allowing for the retirement of the serving Pastor and the hiring of a new Pastor, turned into a long-term commitment. As lay pastor, Dale put his background to use and oversaw the construction of a large log church to serve the needs of the congregation. Dale was ordained in 1977 and served as Pastor until a replacement could be found. It was during this time that Bill Pepper moved to Alaska being forced out of his missionary work in Peru by the presence of the communist guerilla group The Shining Path. Dale joined Bill on his first trip to Peru in 1980. That trip was the beginning of Dale’s love for the people in the Amazon region of Peru. Over the following decades Dale continued to travel to Peru soon joined by members of his family and teams of volunteers. Dale formalized his involvement in building remote jungle churches in 2007 forming the non-profit Kingdom Alliance Ministries, LLC. Raising money for building materials and organizing volunteer construction teams, Kingdom Alliance Ministries has built 53 churches in the Amazon. Dale celebrated his 90th birthday in Peru. His legacy in Peru will continue.

From 2010 on, Dale and Janet devoted time in both Florida and Alaska sharing treasured experiences with their children, family, and friends. They owned a home in Florida for a while and then moved back to Alaska to stay at the homes of their kids and snowbird. From 2016 to 2021 Dale and Janet spent most of the time living with daughter Starr (Sandstrom) Bynum and her husband Rob. Starr and Rob provided an incredible level of care and support. Dale moved to Florida in December 2021 where he lived with daughter Polly (Sandstrom) Jackson and her husband Jerry. The care Polly and Jerry offered enabled Dale to live at home with family, wrapped in love and compassion for the year before his passing.

Dale’s legacy is more than his considerable contribution to the infrastructure of the state of Alaska, it is more than generosity, it is more than church building, it is more than his family and friends though they be many. The true legacy of Dale Eric Sandstrom can be distilled to how he lived his life as measured by his beloved Lord Jesus Christ.

Micah 6:8

He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God.

2 Timothy 4:7

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.
Dale was preceded in death by the love of his life Janet (Hede) Sandstrom on October 14, 2017.

In that time, they had 5 children, 14 grandchildren, and 50 great grandchildren. Prolific, for a couple who had been medically advised that they would not be able to have children.

Arrangements are entrusted to Whitehurst Powell Funeral Home in Crestview. Guest book and condolences are available online at www.whitehurstpowellfuneralhome.com

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