Lawrence "Max" Sand

Lawrence F. “Max” Sand, age 98 of Freeport, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 2, 2026 at the VA Medical Center in St. Cloud, Minnesota.

A graveside service will be held 11 a.m. Thursday, June 11 at the Minnesota State Veterans Cemetery in Little Falls, Minnesota. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Lawrence Frank Sand was born on November 24, 1927 in St. Anthony, Minnesota to Nicholas and Anna (Olberding) Sand. He grew up on the family farm near St. Anthony and served in the United States Army from 1951 to 1953. Following his military service, Max worked for the Freeport Creamery, hauling milk for 32 years.

An avid traveler, he visited Europe five times, China twice, and traveled throughout all 50 states and many other parts of the world. Max had a lifelong love of music and played accordion in a band for 40 years. He also volunteered five weeks each year at the Medora Music Festival for a total of 20 years. Lawrence could be seen every May at Charlie’s Café in Freeport distributing the VFW Buddy Poppy for donations. In his free time, he enjoyed bicycling around Freeport and collecting aluminum cans, often gathering as many as 10,000 cans each summer. He also enjoyed playing cards with many groups and family, especially Cribbage and Skat.

He was a devoted member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Freeport and a member of the Schanhaar-Otte VFW Post 7050 in Melrose serving as Chaplain.

Max is survived by his sister, Vera Ritter of Melrose; and many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; brothers, Henry, Alfred, Richard, and Victor Sand; sisters, Alma Pundsack, Helen Sand, Alvina Koglin, Loretta Petermeier, Alfrida Kerfeld, Monica Ritter, Theresa Goebel, and infant sister, Mary Sand.