Sandy grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He enlisted in the US Navy after high school and served during the Vietnam War from 1967-1970 where he worked on the decks of both the USS Constellation and USS America. His professional background was in electrical engineering and sales. He spent most of his professional career in the semiconductor industry.
After being honorably discharged from the Navy, he moved to Jackson, Tennessee where he met his wife, Sharon. He went to work for Proctor & Gamble where he helped to build a Pringle’s Potato Chip factory.
In 1979 Sandy relocated his family to Carrollton, Texas where he remained a resident for over 40 years until his death. Upon moving to Texas, Sandy began working at Mostek, a semiconductor manufacturer. In 1984, he left Mostek and helped found Dallas Semiconductor in Addison, Texas, where he remained until his retirement as Vice President of Computer Products in 1999. Both in and outside of work, Sandy was always curious about how things worked. He loved to tinker with electronics and was an accomplished inventor with multiple patents related to semiconductors, memory and the original design for GPS that is still in use today.
Sandy was an avid golfer, enjoyed astronomy, and was a life-long HAM radio operator. For many years he was an advanced class operator, with call sign KA5GSC. After his retirement, he obtained his extra-class radio license, and his call sign was changed to AB5DF.
He is survived by his wife, Sharon, son Mike, daughter Stacy and her husband Jay, and his granddaughter, Sierra. He has two sisters, Judy Oliger and Mollie Creed, and two brothers, Bill and Joe. Sandy’s mom and dad, Francis Sr. and Evelyn, and a younger brother, Paul predeceased him.
In celebration of Sandy’s life and love of astronomy, a portion of his ashes will be sent into orbit via the Harmony Earth Orbital Flight where he will be released and eventually re-enter the Earth’s atmosphere as a shooting star. The launch will take place from Cape Canaveral, Florida in July or August of 2023.
If you are interested in making a donation in Sandy Scherpenberg’s name, please consider the following charities:
• The Fisher House Foundation
• K9s for Warriors
• Operation Kindness
Links are included below.
