Morris Sandstead Jr.

1942 - 2020

Morris (Moe) William Sandstead, Jr. was born October 30, 1942 in Sterling, CO and died December 10, 2020 in Louisville, CO after suffering from dementia, Bell's Palsy, and Covid-19. He was the son of Morris W. Sandstead, Sr., Arian Downey and step-mother Vivian Sandstead. Moe was a man of superlatives and he lived life to the fullest. He graduated from Duke University in 1964 and the University of Colorado Law School in 1967. Following graduation he clerked for Federal District Judge Alfred A. Arraj in Denver. After his clerkship he joined the Boulder law firm of Williams, Taussig & Trine and practiced law for 15 years. In 1983 he was appointed to the Boulder County District Court Bench where he presided over domestic, criminal, juvenile, and business cases for 27 years. Moe loved the law and was well respected by his colleagues and those who appeared before him. Moe loved to travel and visited Europe several times, as well as Palestine/Israel, Japan, Mexico, Canada, Vietnam and Cambodia. He loved cooking and improvising his own recipes inspired by Italian, Mexican, and Asian cuisines. He loved riding both mountain and road bikes and participated in the challenging Ride the Rockies bicycle tour. Moe was a music lover and while he loved all music, he had special affinity for opera. He regularly attended Opera Colorado and also enjoyed performances in New York, Central City, Santa Fe, San Francisco, Chicago, Paris and Italy. Moe was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Boulder and the Boulder Rotary Club. Moe loved people from every part of his life and made friends wherever he went. He especially loved his family. He married Karen Lomax in 1966 in Westminster, CO and they had two daughters, Rebecca (Brian Rogers) and Martha Sandstead (James McGrath). Moe has four grandchildren Owen (12), Wyatt (10), Jordan (12) and Henry (9). He is also survived by a step-sister, Cherie Haas of Greeley CO. All his life Moe radiated love and joy which was reciprocated as love and admiration from all who knew him. Moe had a distinctive and infectious laugh that set everyone at ease. One time when the family was dressed and "masked" for Halloween and walking Pearl Street for the Mall Crawl, a passerby exclaimed, "Moe Sandstead is here somewhere, I hear his laugh." We know that Moe is now making all the angels laugh! A celebration of his life will be held next year when it is safe to gather and hug again. Donations can be made in Moe's name to Opera Colorado or the ACLU Foundation of Colorado.