Sanford Naiditch, a World War II veteran, loved adventure, his family and Wendy’s Frostys

10 min readNov 14, 2020

Sanford Naiditch always wore his World War II veteran hat — except for when he saw another soldier.

Then, he would calmly remove his cap, approach the GI and say, “Thank you for your service.” Taking his hat off was important to Sanford, who worked Army field artillery in Japan and the Philippines, because he wanted to offer his gratitude without making the receiver feel obligated to thank him in return.

Years ago, when asked how he wanted to be remembered, Sanford answered: “Patriotism and being a good family man.”

Indeed, no two traits better encapsulate the 97 years Sanford lived before his death from COVID-19 on Aug. 26 in Des Moines.

Ira Naiditch holds a photo of his father, Sanford Naiditch, at his home in Ankeny Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020. Sanford Naiditch served in the Army’s … Show more

ZACH BOYDEN-HOLMES/THE REGISTER

Born in 1923 in Chicago, Sanford spent most of his life in Minneapolis, where he and his wife, Sylvia, raised their two children, Ira and Linda.

Sanford and Sylvia filled Ira and Linda’s childhoods with everything from horseback riding to skiing to rollerblading. So long as they were spending time together as a family, the activity didn’t matter. During the long Minnesota winters, the Naiditches would flood their backyard and create an ice rink for family and friends.

Even as Sanford worked long hours throughout his career — in women’s dress manufacturing, stock brokerage and market-making — he made sure to come home for dinner before heading back out to the office.

“Other than my wife, he was my best friend,” said his son, Ira.

One way Sanford expressed his love was miles traveled. When Linda was serving in the Peace Corps in the Congo, Sanford visited her in central Africa. When one of his grandsons was having Grandparents Day at school, Sanford postponed his heart surgery and hopped on a plane. When Sanford and Sylvia were still well enough to travel, they took their three oldest grandchildren to Tanzania, Italy and New Zealand.

And almost two years ago, when Ira and his wife, Sue, sold “everything” to move to Iowa to care for their grandson who had a complex medical condition, Sanford pulled up stakes, too.

“He always wanted to be part of our life, so wherever I went or Ira went, he visited,” Linda said.

While Sanford’s time in Iowa was short, he quickly made the Hawkeye state his home. He lived in the same Ankeny building as Ira and Sue, having dinner with them a couple of times a week.

He attended the State Fair and Iowa Cubs games and participated in the caucuses. He looked forward to watching the Hawkeyes play the Ohio State University Buckeyes, where the 1946 graduate was a cheerleader during his college years. A proud alum, Ira was known to break out the OSU fight song whenever football came up in conversation.

He “saw life as an adventure,” his family wrote in his obituary.

Sanford Naiditch, a World War II veteran, loved adventure, his family and Wendy’s Frostys

Written by Jessica