Verna Sandbulte

Verna Van De Berg Sandbulte of Duluth, Minnesota died at the age of 92 on August 26, 2026. Verna was born in Sioux Center, Iowa on May 3, 1934, to Henry and Della (Kroon) Van De Berg. The second of eight children, she was raised on a farm near Sioux Center and graduated from Sioux Center High School in 1951. She and her classmate Arend Sandbulte began dating during high school and married at the age of 19 in 1953. Between 1955 and 1960, they had four children, Ruth, Greg, Kristin and Rachel. During their marriage, they lived in Sioux Center and then Ames, Iowa, before moving to Minneapolis and in 1964 to Duluth. Verna was reluctant to move to Duluth, where they knew no one, but she quickly assimilated into their new community. She became actively involved in their church, Glen Avon Presbyterian Church, where she devoted thousands of hours in service over many years. She loved Glen Avon and the lifelong friends they made there. She also volunteered for and supported her community through many organizations, including the Miller Dwan Hospital Auxiliary, PEO, the Duluth Woman’s Club, the College of St. Scholastica Board of Trustees, the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra, and Girl Scouts. Verna became a true Duluthian, and with gratitude she lived the remainder of her life there.

Verna was a social person who valued interpersonal connections. She enjoyed meeting and working with people in many ways, and she had dear friends and family with whom she cherished time together. She was a wonderful cook and gracious hostess, and she loved to welcome people into their home. She wrote long weekly letters to her mother until her mother died at age 90, and she spoke frequently with her sisters in Iowa, always keeping in touch and close at heart. She rarely forgot a birthday or other milestone in another’s life, and she sent thousands of cards and notes to family and friends until late in her life. She was loyal and true to many.

As empty nesters and later in life, Verna and Arend spent many winters in Florida and traveled regularly. They welcomed kids and grandkids to their homes in Florida and made countless visits to theme parks and the beach. They explored most of the Lower 48, whale watched in Alaska, fished in Canada, relaxed in Hawaii, researched their roots in the Netherlands, and drove many hundreds of miles and cruised rivers in Europe. They were fortunate to share time and many adventures together.

Verna was our mom, and she was completely devoted to our family. She loved and supported our dad Arend throughout their courtship (which began with an arranged date at a church hymn sing at age 16) and their 73-year marriage. She was a young mother to four, and we behaved like kids and teenagers and tried her patience at times, but she (with our dad) created a life and home in which we felt safe and knew we were loved. In recent years, her health declined, slowly but steadily, and we gradually said goodbye to the woman we had known. We are at a loss but also relieved now that she is at peace. She was raised in a family and community of Christian faith, and she never lost her own faith. Even as her health failed, her faith guided and sustained her and gave her strength. We are thankful for that.

Verna is preceded in death by her parents Henry and Della Van De Berg; and her sons-in-law Arlan Peterson and Bruce Ostrander.

She is survived by her husband, Arend Sandbulte; son Greg (Cherri) Sandbulte and daughters Ruth Peterson, Kristin (Jeff) Melby and Rachel Ostrander; 14 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren; and many members of her extended family and friends.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at 12:00 p.m., with a visitation beginning at 11:00 a.m., at Glen Avon Presbyterian Church, 2105 Woodland Avenue, Duluth, Minnesota 55803. A light lunch will be served following the service.

We give heartfelt thanks to the staff at Ecumen Hospice and Ecumen Lakeshore for the kindness and dignity with which you treated Verna in her final years. You made her life comfortable and peaceful, and we are forever thankful.

If desired, memorials are preferred to the College of St. Scholastica or Glen Avon Presbyterian Church.