Funeral service for Mark Bandy, 71, of Mobridge will be at 10:00 am, Friday, August 8, 2025, at the Norway Lutheran Church in rural Glenham, SD. Burial will follow in the Norway Cemetery. A visitation will go from 5 - 7 pm, Thursday, August 7, 2025, at Kesling Funeral Home. Mark died on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, at Sanford Medical Center in Bismarck, ND.

Mark Stephen Bandy was born in Sioux City, Iowa on June 7th, 1954, to Muriel (Tronson) Bandy and Morris Bandy. Mark was one of six children.

Mark's first marriage to Paula (Kachel) Bandy blessed him with two children, Monica (Bandy) Young, and Mark Bandy, Jr.  Mark was a loving, kind, and playful father with a terrific sense of humor. He always had time for a game, a joke, or whenever his family needed him.

Mark believed in living his life as fully as he could. He loved anything aerospace, and he loved to fly. He earned his pilot's license and enjoyed flying to the family farm for a visit, or to Minneapolis for a quick shopping trip. He was eager for any excuse to be up in the air.

Mark was incredibly athletic. Mark taught his children how to waterski, throw a football, play baseball, and tennis. He was musical, playing trombone, guitar, and the piano and had a beautiful singing voice. When his kids were growing up, they went to bed listening to him play Moonlight Sonata on the piano each night. He wrote and recorded songs in his spare time, performing with his kids.

Mark had an inquisitive, creative, and strategic mind. Shortly after graduating college and while working on his master's, he accepted a position with the State of North Dakota as the State's Food Commissioner and Chemist. He even started his own business with his chemistry and microbiology background.

Mark's spirituality was an important part of his life, and he always felt connected to Norway Lutheran Church in Glenham. He was deeply proud of his family's heritage and loved spending most of his time at the farm, starting at a young age.

Mark retired to his family farm, where he spent time with his wife Sherse (Wright) Bandy and was always planning another venture. He enjoyed traveling back and forth to California to spend as much time as he could with his beloved grandchildren.

He is survived by his wife Sherse, his two children, his two grandchildren, Savannah (4 years) and Oliver (1 year), and his siblings, Bill Bandy, Constance (Bandy) Guritz, Tron Bandy, and Ed Bandy.