Rev. Sanford "Sandy" Freud, a retired Congregational minister and beloved husband, pastor, and friend went home peacefully to be with his Lord on January 13, 2026 after 7+ years of steady decline due to a rare form of dementia, primary progressive aphasia.

Sandy was the only child of Bernard and Vera Freud. He was born in Chicago, IL on April 16, 1940.  He was raised in the Lutheran Church and was president of the all-Chicago Youth Luther League while in high school. He attended St. Olaf College in MN with a major in Economics and a minor in Religion.  He married right after graduation and started his business career as a pharmaceutical salesman while still in Illinois. He later moved to Irvine, CA to take a job with Phizer Pharmaceuticals. He was a very successful salesman winning many awards, but after a divorce, Sandy chose to accept a call to the ministry that he felt in his heart since high school. He went back to school and earned two master degrees in pastoral and marriage family counseling. He was ordained in 1983 and served as senior minister in Congregational churches in Claremont, Monrovia, and Orange CA. He also served as pastor of Singles at the Crystal Cathedral in the late 1980's. Sandy was most proud of starting a new church, New Faith Fellowship in 2001, with a small group of his senior bowling friends.  The church actually used a meeting room in the Orange Bowl for several years for their services before renting space in a chapel of a larger church in Orange. Sandy retired in 2013 as their Pastor Emeritus. New Faith was small, but mighty, and met the needs of the senior members with compassion, friendship and fellowship based on the Congregational Way. 

Sandy was a people person who impacted many lives through his ministry and his many friendships. He was an excellent bowler, beginning as a child, maybe because his father owned and operated a bowling alley in Chicago. Then it was through a school district bowling league that Sandy met the love of his life, his wife Linda, in 1993. They married a short five months later. Their bond was immediate and forever.  They would have celebrated 32 years in March. So it was fitting that he founded a church that started worshipping in a bowling alley. Sandy's other passion was tennis. He and Linda were very active in a social tennis organization called Tennis Friends. He was their long time trip director and planned many enjoyable tennis trips for groups up to 50 people.  When in his presence, there were always feelings of love and joy with lots of smiles and laughter and hugs.

Sandy is survived by his loving wife Linda Freud, his son Jeffrey Freud (Christy) and daughter April Carroll (Carson), his step-sons David Schmitt (Shannon) and Thomas Schmitt (Brynn), and 11 grand and step-grand children.  The family wants to extend a special thank you to his Hospice team and also to the compassionate caregivers at his care home. They all blessed Sandy and Linda through his long good-bye.

A celebration of Sandy's life will be held on Friday, February 6th at 11:00 at the First Congregational Church of Anaheim, 515 N. State College Blvd., Anaheim 92806.

There will be a light lunch following the service at the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be sent in Sandy's name to his church marked FCCA / MISSIONS so gifts can be made to support some missions that Sandy held dear in his heart.