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Wayne Sandau

Date of Death: March 11, 2025

Date of Birth: February 23, 1928

Biography:

Wayne Sandau, 97 of Bath, ME, died on Tuesday, March 11 in his sleep at Hill House in Bath.

Wayne was born on February 23, 1928 in Owatonna, Minnesota to Reinhold and Sarah (Zaskle) Sandau. HIs folks worked at various farms until he was five, when they moved "to town" so that he could attend kindergarten.

He was regular Army from August 1946 to November 1947 and served in Korea for 10 months. He took a job as a chaplain's clerk because he didn't have to carry a rifle. It was this deployment that sparked his later interest in travel.

Graduating from the University of Minnesota on the GI Bill. he went on to Yale Divinity School, graduating in 1955.

In June of 1955 he married Susan Black in Garden City, Long Island. He was the Associate Minister of the Community Church in Garden City, NY for four years before becoming pastor at the Ellington Congregational Church from 1957 to 1965. While in Ellington, two sons were born: Stephen and John.

Wayne moved his family to Cheshire Connecticut in 1965 to become a co-minister with Ed Lincoln at the First Congregational Church of Cheshire. After Rev. Lincon's departure, Wayne remained pastor at the church until his retirement in 1998. He was widowed in 1982 when Susan died of cancer, though he wore his wedding ring until he died. He continued to live in Cheshire and travel whenever possible until he moved to Brunswick, Maine in 2010.

Wayne lived with his son Stephen and daughter-in-law Susie until 2023 when illness and age required assisted living. He spent his last couple of years at HillHouse in Bath, Maine.

He was an avid traveler, having visited all seven continents, traveled around the world, and made several trips to China. In 1972 Wayne and his wife Susan took the two boys on a 5-month trip around Europe, traveling by car and often staying with friends or camping.

Predeceased by his brother Roger and his sister DeVelda, Wayne is survived by his sister-in-law Carol Sandau, his two sons and their wives, Stephen and Susie, and John and Mindy as well as his granddaughter Hannah (and husband Reid) and their two daughters (Wayne's great-granddaughters) Ellie and Cece.