Freeland's Louis Ralph Sandberg Was A Fun-Loving Insurance Man

The man who called himself "The Fat Finn of Freeland" loved to hunt but joked he was not particularly good at it.

He loved to fish from his own boat, although he rarely hooked one.

And he loved running a bulldozer on his Whidbey Island property even though it might break down, said his wife, Bobbi Sandberg, of Greenbank.

Luckily, Whidbey Island businessman Louis Ralph Sandberg, who died of cancer Wednesday at 59, did three other things quite well: selling insurance, helping people and telling jokes.

Cindy Currier, a colleague at Porter Whidbey Insurance Co. which Mr. Sandberg co-owned, said the skills endeared him to clients.

"He was very understanding and accommodating. If clients had a problem, he would personally try to help them out," she said.

"And he would always tell them and us jokes. In his Finnish accent, which was very funny."

He also was fond of wearing leisure suits.

Mr. Sandberg was born in Bellingham. He enlisted in the Air Force, hoping to be a pilot. But a "wandering eye" - regarded by the Air Force physicians as a disqualifying ailment - dashed that hope, said his wife. He was discharged.

He earned a degree in economics at Western Washington University.

Later he would say the best economic indicator was jokes: "When the salesmen start coming around with a bunch of new jokes, you know the economy's improving."

He sold insurance for Safeco, worked for small companies in Oregon in the mid-60s, then returned to the Puget Sound area in 1967 and bought Whidbey Insurance. He and Jim Porter merged their companies in 1985. The new company, Porter Whidbey, became a leader in the area.

Keen on community, Mr. Sandberg served as a port commissioner and as president of the Freeland Chamber of Commerce.

He also went on calls for the Freeland Fire Department.

"Whenever they'd get a brush fire or oil spill," said his wife, "the firefighters had to notify the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Ecology.

"He had one call at 1 a.m. on a car wreck that started a fire. He stayed out there with the firetruck all night, watching the fire, until the government guys got to the office in the morning and he could call."

She told several stories of mishaps Mr. Sandberg had with boats, of getting lost in fog or storms, and making runs on auxiliary engines. She said he "almost never" caught fish but kept trying anyway.

"He also loved to hunt, and was as good at that as he was at fishing. When he went elk hunting, a buddy heard a crashing in the woods and said, `It's either a herd of elk, or it's Sandberg.' "

Other survivors include his daughter, Laura, and her husband, Tom Nordberg, Auburn; a son, Garth, and his wife, Susan Sandberg, Clinton, Whidbey Island; his stepson, Robert Watson, and his wife, Kathy, and their son, Sam, SeaTac; his stepdaughter, Rhonda, and her husband, Joe Osborne, Bothell; his uncle, John Sandberg, Middle River, Minn., and several cousins.

At his request, no service will be held. But a wake in his honor is at 4 p.m. today at Holmes Harbor Rod and Gun Club, 3634 Bayview Road, Langley, Whidbey Island.