Glen Vansandt

(From Clark Funeral Home)

Glen Vansandt, 72, of Neosho, Missouri passed away on July 30, 2022 after a courageous battle with ALS, more commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. 

Glen was born on May 9, 1950 in Springfield, Missouri to Glen and May Vansandt. He was a McDonald County native, graduating from McDonald County High School in 1968. 

He attended Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University) and afterward Missouri Southern State College, where he received his Associate of Science degree in 1973. He then moved to Kansas City to further his education and graduated with honors from the Electronics Institute in 1977. 

Glen moved back to the area when the copier industry was just beginning to take off, and took a position at Doss and Price Office Systems, becoming one of the top technicians in the company. He found he loved the challenge of troubleshooting the equipment and the interaction with customers. 

His dedication to the industry led he and his wife, Lea Vansandt, to open their own business, Ozark Business Systems, in 1990. He took great pride in keeping his customers happy. Since his retirement, Lea and their son, Jared Vansandt, have continued to successfully operate and expand the business. Ozark Business Systems is celebrating its 34th anniversary this year.

Glen was once dubbed “the king of indoor sports” by his daughter. He enjoyed teaching his children to play table tennis, billiards, darts, pinball, air hockey, and chess. Despite the fact that Glen typically beat everyone at everything, he always seemed surprised to win. 

Glen was an avid early gamer, back in the days of Sega and the original Nintendo Entertainment System. His children spent hours watching him play – solving puzzles and saving the world. Until Glen lost the use of his hands, he continued to love gaming, finishing out his gaming career with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, proving that even in his late 60s, Glen was the master of any game. 

But Glen’s interests certainly weren’t limited to the indoors – he was a great lover of the outdoors as well, and could be seen by the pool nearly all summer. He created a backyard oasis for his family to enjoy, inviting them over to eat some of his fabulous barbeque and listen to classic rock, or new rock, or whatever he happened to find interesting at the moment. 

For years, Glen and Lea’s house was the place to go for the 4th of July. He took meticulous care to ensure that everyone had a memorable experience, with lots of swimming, laughter, food, a massive amount of fireworks, and of course, great music. 

Glen’s work ethic and resilience were clear in everything that he did and demonstrated his deep love and commitment to his family. Accordingly, Glen’s final thoughts were with his family, and to express how much he loved them.

Glen is survived by his loving wife of 42 years, Lea Vansandt. He is also survived by his 2 children – Jared Vansandt (and his fiancée Olivia Salmonsen) of Neosho, Missouri, and Rachel Boudreau (and her husband Justin Crozier) of Kansas City, Missouri, as well as 3 grandchildren: Zoë Boudreau, Jacob Crozier, and Anna Crozier. Glen is also survived by his 2 sisters, Sue Womack (and her husband Steve Womack) of Anderson, Missouri, and Kay Greer (and her husband John Greer) of Noel, Missouri.

Glen is preceded in death by his parents, Glen and May Vansandt, by his sister, Ann Taylor, and by his niece, Stacy Daugherty.

A private graveside service will be held for friends and family, and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

Contributions in memory of Glen may be made to the ALS Foundation, c/o Clark Funeral Home, PO Box 66; Neosho, Missouri 64850.