Dec. 7, 1948 – June 27, 2021
His vintage collection of T-shirts, Levi’s, Tevas, cowboy boots and old cars will need to find a new home. Steven Michael Sandberg, 72, passed away in his sleep at his Las Vegas home on June 27, 2021. Michael was born in St. George, Utah, to Wayne and Wanda Iverson Sandberg on Dec. 7, 1948. He was the middle child to a large family with three brothers and one sister.
Michael grew up in Washington, Utah, in the house his father built on his parents’ turkey farm. He had a happy childhood helping his father and brothers with farm chores from a very young age. Other hobbies included horseback riding and fishing. It was tragic when his father suddenly passed away on his 15th birthday.
Michael attended Dixie High School where he met his first wife and became a first-time father to his son Michael Wayne.
Michael took his young family to Colorado then Page, Arizona, to work in the newspaper business. He later moved to Lake Tahoe where he enjoyed working at a ski resort.
In the early 1970s, he settled down in Las Vegas. Always the handsome one, he was featured on the Circus Circus Baccarat advertisement back in the day. Michael worked at the Sahara, the Thunderbird, Caesars and the Stardust casinos. While working as a pit boss at the Stardust, he met his wife, Susan Pins Sandberg. They were married and raised their two children in Las Vegas. Often called the Marlboro Man, he enjoyed playing poker professionally at the Stardust and the Mirage. Michael’s poker playing slowed down once he started equating poker bets to the cost of Pampers (he hated Huggies).
Michael lived a full life, filled with family and friends who loved him very much. He was a straight-forward man who was always honest, sometimes to fault (a tradition handed down by his mother, Wanda). Always quick to smile, Michael was liked by everyone he met. He could always make you laugh with his funny comments and opinions. He loved sports and was a huge Tom Brady fan.
He would watch any football game on TV, even the Cincinnati Bengals. When the family gatherings in Southern Utah included Chuck-A-Rama, Michael was known to consume more food than his nieces, nephews and grandchildren thought humanely possible.
Michael is survived by his wife Susan; his children, Michael (Emily) St. George, Utah, Kylie Las Vegas, Nevada, and Morgan (Heidi), Boise, Idaho; his grandchildren, Ryan, Madalene, Jackson, Kathryn and Lily Sandberg and Zuri Major; his siblings, Jerry (Mary Jane), Doyle (Gayle), Scott (Joan) of Washington, Utah and Susan (David) Debenham of St. George, Utah, as well as many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne and Wanda Sandberg, and his grandson, Benjamin Sandberg.
A memorial service will be held on Saturday, July 10, 2021, at 11 a.m. at Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 South Bluff Street. Visitation begins at 10 a.m.
Friends and family that are unable to attend are invited to view the memorial service online. Please click on the link below.
Steven Michael Sandberg (funeralvue.com)
Arrangements are made under the direction of Spilsbury Mortuary, 110 S Bluff Street, St. George, Utah, 435-673-2454. Friends and family are invited to sign Steven’s online guestbook at www.spilsburymortuary.com.