SCPO Carl E. Sanburg, USN Ret.'s Obituary
Carl Sandburg was born on November 10, 1940 was raised in Edwardsville, Kansas. He was the oldest child of Bernice and Albert Sandburg and brother to Maxine Eveland and Herbie Sandburg. Carl was nicknamed “Old man” because when he was a young boy he would rather be working than playing with his friends. He started driving the tractor around the age of 12. His parents and grandparents spent a lot of their time farming wild potatos along the banks of the Kaw River. They also farmed corn, watermelon, and cantaloupe.The children always ran around barefoot. They didn’t like wearing shoes. One time Carl, had put his shoes on and his mother told him that he had them on the wrong feet. He responded “They’re the only feet I have”. Carl’s mom loved his dry sense of humor. He’d say things with a straight face like it was nothing but she’d crack up. Example, a cat ran into the house and he said “Barbecue! You’d better get out of here!”When Carl was a young boy, his mother brought his baby brother home, when people would ask “What did your mother bring you?” He would say “A little Joker about yea big.” From then on, his little brother went through life known as Joker.The family had a pet dog, Collie, name Tipsy. They also had a pet squirrel & pet raccoon. Both ran around the house and they handled them just like any pet. They would give the raccoon a vanilla wafer & when he’d dip it water, it would dissolve. The family had farm animals that always ran around such as; pigs, chickens & one milk cow. He loved his mamas fresh homemade noodles and meatball sandwiches, and Carl’s favorite toy as a child was an Erector set. Carl continued to build throughout his life; from his family, career, education, business, to his second home in the Philippines.Carl decided to drop out of High School when he was 15 and went to work at his uncle’s produce company. He then decided to join the Navy at age 17 and finished high school to get his diploma. Carl enlisted in the Navy in 1957 and and after 21 years he retired with the rank of Senior Chief. During his time in the Navy he was stationed in the Philippines where he meet his beautiful wife Linda in a small restaurant in Subic Bay. Carl and Linda married not long after dating and started a family. They have five wonderful children. Janet, Tony, Edwin, Sandra and Frankie. Carl loved all of his children very much and consistently went out of his way to give them the life that he never had.For the next 40 years Carl and Linda made a home and had a successful business for themselves in Santee, California. Carl was very ambitious and continued his schooling and obtained his Masters Degree in Education. He taught Military Education at San Diego Community College as an associate dean. Carl started his coin and jewelry business by selling at the local swap meet on the weekends while he was still in the navy. His business grew, and he opened Santee coins and jewelry in 1976 which he and his wife operated until he retired in 2012. He continued to stay active by participating in coin shows and taking vacations in the Philippines with his lovely wife Linda.Carl and Linda spent a lot of time in the Philippines building a vacation home for themselves and helping their family with their education, and careers. He was able to assist several of his family members get their college degrees in the Philippines by paying for their tuition.Over the years, Carl cooked for the children and they incorporated those recipes and were passed down. All the children still cook “hamburger soup and rice”, “spam and rice”, “dads meatballs, pizza”, and “sos”. Carl did most of the cooking at home, and he was infamous for cooking a huge breakfast and shouting reveille at 7:00 am on Saturday and Sunday. The children knew the bigger the breakfast, the longer the list of chores. Carl instilled his work ethic to his children at a young age and took great pride in their success over the years.All of Carl’s children look back fondly at some of the phrases he used when he was angry. Frankie had a talent for irritating Carl, and often you would hear Carl exclaim “dat damit”, in response to some mischief Frankie was instigating as a young boy. Linda recalls a family friend ask where was “dat damit” was, the friend thought that was Frankie’s name.Carl’s legacy remains with all his family, we all have fond memories and tough lessons that he guided us with throughout our lives. These experiences will remain with us forever, and a piece of Carl lives in each and every one of us. For the children, he was our anchor, foundation, and inspiration, and will be missed.
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