Arthur William "Art" Sandrock

1894 - 1980  (85 years)

• Name	Arthur William "Art" Sandrock
  Born	24 Feb 1894	Mazomanie, Dane, Wisconsin, United States   [1]
  Gender	Male
  Interesting	radio, business, funeral, story
  Name	Art Sandrock
  Occupation	Funeral Director
  Residence	45 Caroline St. N., Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [2]
  Eby ID Number	Waterloo-69625
  Died	12 Feb 1980	Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1, 2]
  Buried	Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada   [1]
  Person ID	I69625	Generations
  Last Modified	1 Dec 2024

  
  

  Family	Genevieve Marie "Jean" Ringle,   b. 5 Jun 1896, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 1975  (Age 78 years)
  Children	1. Philip W. "Bud" Sandrock,   b. 29 Oct 1928, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 26 Apr 2001, Dansville, Livingston, New York, United States  (Age 72 years)   2. Patricia Marian "Pat" Sandrock,   b. 26 May 1933, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 9 Sep 2016, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 83 years)   3. David "Dave" Sandrock,   b. 15 Mar 1936, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada ,   d. 12 Feb 2008, Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  (Age 71 years)
  Last Modified	3 Dec 2024
  Family ID	F42933	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

• Photos

  Sandrock,ArthurW.-001.jpg

  
  

• Notes

  "Former Kitchener funeral director Art Sandrock dies," Arthur W. Sandrock, a Kitchener funeral director for more than 50 years and a longtime advocate of defensive driving and safety, died today at Cambridge hospital. He was 85. Sandrock, who lived at 45 Caroline St. N., Waterloo, had been staying at the Preston Springs Garden Retirement Home in Cambridge for some months. Known as the Moses of Safety, in safety circles, Sandrock started the first school safety patrol in Canada in Kitchener and was also instrumental in establishing the first school driving program in the country. In 1913 Sandrock graduated from the University of Minnesota's school of embalming. As a funeral director in Marion, Ohio, he helped bury a gunned-down Chicago gangster, millionaires and paupers. In more than 50 years as a funeral director, he handled 18,000 funerals. His most famous client was Warren Harding, the 29th president of the United States. He died in 1923 and Sandrock "laid him to rest" after services in the Marion Presbyterian Church. "I remember people going past his casket in Marion at the rate of 121 a minute," he said in a 1978 interview. He came to the Twin Cities on July 31, 1928, and had a five-year contract with A. G. Schreiter, of Kitchener furniture store fame, to establish the first modern funeral home in this area and train a manager to run it. Then he intended to go back to the United States with his Kitchener-born wife. But he fell in love with the area and decided to stay. He established Kitchener's first modern funeral home at Church and Benton Streets, kept putting his money into the business and owned it outright in 1939. In 1940 he became a Canadian citizen. Sandrock served with the United States cavalry, quartermasters corps and intelligence service during the First World War, was wounded and later served in the army of occupation. He was instrumental in organizing a local group which brought the International Plowing Match here in 1954; campaigned for a full-time planning department and director in Kitchener and was a member of the city planning board for many years; organized the Central Ontario Horse Show and the First Council of Christians and Jews here. He was also responsible for bringing the first radio station to Kitchener from Brantford in 1929 and convinced owners to broadcast religious services. Sandrock also had a hand in organizing the local Big Brothers group, the air cadets and many others. In addition, he was active in the Kitchener Chamber of Commerce, and in 1965, he was named Man of the Month by the National Selected Morticians at a convention in Chicago. In 1966 he was named K-W Citizen of the Year. Sandrock also contributed his services to church work, the Doon Pioneer Village and the Rotary Club. In 1973, Gordon Carton, then Ontario transportation and communications minister, presented him with a citation for his work with student driver training in Ontario. He was president of the Tri-County Automobile Club for 19 years and received a life membership in 1970. He was also a former Ontario Motor League president. Sandrock retired as a director of the local OML branch in 1877. Surviving are two sons and one daughter. Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Feb. 12, 1980 Sandrock, Arthur. W. '96 At the Cambridge Memorial Hospital, on Tuesday, Feb. 12, 1980, in his 86th year, Arthur W. Sandrock, formerly of 45 Caroline St., Waterloo. A member of St. Matthew's Lutheran Church and the Twin City Masonic Lodge, AF and AM, Number 509, and former proprietor of the Sandrock Funeral Homes Ltd. Son of the late Rev. George Sandrock and Margaret Loebel; husband of the late Genevieve Ringle, who predeceased him in 1975; father of P. W. (Bud) of Livonia, N.Y., David of Kitchener and Patricia (Mrs. Gordon Coles) of North Bay; brother of Rev. Sigmund of Green Bay, Wis., and Erwin of Milwaukee, Wis. Also survived by 10 grandchildren. Predeceased by two brothers, Major Dr. George, USMC, and Rev. Wilfred. Visitation at the Schreiter-Sandrock Funeral Home, 51 Benton St., Kitchener, after 2 p.m. today, until 1: 50 p.m. Friday, Feb. 15, when transfer will be made to St. Matthew's Lutheran Church for funeral services at 2 p.m., Rev. Harold Brill and Rev. Donald Stewart officiating. Interment to follow in Woodland Cemetery. His favorite charities were: the Big Brothers Association, The Golden Hours or the Rotary Centre. A Masonic service under the auspices of the Twin City Lodge AF and AM, Number 509 will be held tonight at the funeral home, at 7: 30 p.m. Regular visiting hours will be observed at the funeral home with the family receiving friends today and Thursday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Kitchener-Waterloo Record, Feb. 13, 1980 _____________________ CKGL-AM (570 NEWS), Kitchener-Waterloo, Rogers Broadcasting Ltd. 1924 CKCR Brantford was one of just 46 private commercial radio stations licensed in Canada. Like many stations of that era, it was a technology without an industry; owner John Patterson struggled to pry advertising dollars from local businesses. Everything changed the day Arthur Sandrock came to visit. Sandrock: a well-connected Kitchener-Waterloo businessman, called on Patterson seeking airtime for his Church - St. Matthews of Kitchener. During their chat, Patterson confided his disappointment with ad revenues. When Sandrock asked what it might take to move the station to Kitchener, Patterson replied: five thousand dollars and studio space. Once home, Sandrock went to work. Waterloo MP (and Minister of National Revenue) W.D. Euler promised to smooth the way with the federal government. Sandrock then secured five thousand dollars in advertising commitment from Kitchener-Waterloo businesses. While strolling along King Street in Waterloo, Sandrock noticed some unoccupied office space above Weichel's Hardware store. He promptly buttonholed the owner, W.G. Weichel, who was less-than-excited about donating the space. Undeterred, Sandrock won Weichel over with visions of free publicity for the hardware store. With all the pieces in place, Sandrock had little difficulty selling Patterson on the move. https://www.broadcasting-history.ca/index3.html?url=http%3A//www.broadcasting-history.ca/listings_and_histories/radio/histories.php%3Fid%3D330%26historyID%3D122

  
  

• Sources

  [S3231] Find A Grave, https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/217571552/arthur-w-sandrock. [S74] News - ON, Waterloo, Kitchener - Kitchener-Waterloo Record (1948-1994), Obituary of Arthur W. Sandrock - Feb. 12, 1980.

  
  

• Event Map

  Born - 24 Feb 1894 - Mazomanie, Dane, Wisconsin, United States Residence - - 45 Caroline St. N., Waterloo City, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Died - 12 Feb 1980 - Cambridge, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada Buried - - Woodland Cem., Kitchener, Waterloo Region, Ontario, Canada  = Link to Google Earth