Mark Ostlund, leader who helped grow Sandy's Donuts into a regional favorite, dies

Sandy's Facebook Post By Tracy Briggs November 06, 2026 at 7:22 PM Listen Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? WEST FARGO — Mark Ostlund, 62, co-owner of Sandy’s Donuts, who helped grow his parents’ neighborhood doughnut shop into a regional favorite, has died. His son and current CEO, Jeff Ostlund, wrote on Sandy's Facebook page Friday evening that "We are deeply shocked and heartbroken to share that Mark Ostlund, son of founders Sandy and Donna, has unexpectedly passed away due to health complications." ADVERTISEMENT Jeff Ostlund said his father was born with "a bad heart valve" and had undergone open-heart surgery in early 2025. "There were a few complications from that, and we believe that may have led to his passing," he continued. "We are still processing this loss and know many of you will feel it too. We would love for you to share a memory you have of Mark, or any special moments you’ve experienced at Sandy’s over the years." He described his father as "hardworking, humble, devoted, thoughtful, kind, and as generous as he was stubborn." Condolence posts poured in. Amanda McKinnon Shilling wrote, "This is so incredibly heartbreaking. Mark was a bright light in our community and will be so missed." Suz Bracewell wrote, "I am beyond sad to hear this! Mark was a gem, and will be missed by all who knew him. His enthusiasm and positivity are such an inspiration." The business opened in 1983, when Mark's father Sandy Ostlund, 52, was looking for a new job after years in the trucking business. A friend suggested he turn a favorite pastime into a business: making doughnuts. ADVERTISEMENT As a child, Sandy learned to make them in his mother’s kitchen in Tioga, North Dakota, using her buttermilk doughnut recipe and frying them in a cast-iron pan on a coal-burning stove. That September, he and his wife, Donna, opened Sandy’s Donuts in a former West Fargo bakery. In the early days, Sandy made doughnuts at night while Donna and a few employees sold them during the day. Sometimes the couple was so busy they slept in sleeping bags in a back room. WDAY-TV file image Mark, one of the couple’s three children, left college to help. “I have been involved with the doughnut shop for all but the first six months when I was in my second year of college,” he once told The Forum. He credited both parents with getting the business through its demanding early years. “My mom was very heavily involved, and I doubt he would have succeeded without her,” Mark said. ADVERTISEMENT After Sandy died in 2008, Mark saw himself as the keeper of his father’s legacy. Forum file photo “I am the beneficiary of all of Dad’s hard work and commitment,” he said. “My job since he passed has been to not mess things up and ruin his legacy. I would have a lot of people mad at me if I did.” So confident in the quality of his family’s doughnuts, he wasn’t even rattled when doughnut giant Krispy Kreme came to Fargo in 2002. Around that time Sandy’s had just moved into a former Hardee’s building on Sheyenne Street, Donna had retired and Mark had just taken over running the business. “All the talk about doughnuts. All the hype. It just makes people want to buy doughnuts more. And I have better doughnuts,” he said. Krispy Kreme closed five years later. The Forum/Sept 28, 2002/via Newspapers.com Sandy’s stuck around. By its 40th anniversary in 2023, it employed about 100 people and produced between 6,000 and 16,000 doughnuts a day, depending on the season and day of the week. Jeff Ostlund said preparing them took 12 to 16 hours, with deliveries beginning around 2 a.m. The business operates stores on Sheyenne Street in West Fargo, on Broadway in downtown Fargo and in south Fargo’s Osgood area. The downtown shop opened in 2014 and the Osgood location in 2019. Sandy’s also supplies doughnuts to retailers throughout eastern North Dakota and western Minnesota. ADVERTISEMENT Forum file photo As Mark guided the business forward, another generation was learning the work. Jeff began working for his father at 13, later serving in the Marines and earning a business degree from North Dakota State University. Years before stepping away, Mark said he felt like he had done a good job growing the business, but he predicted his son would surpass him. A few years later, in a 2025 interview with The Forum, Mark said he had mostly stepped away from the operation and doubled down on his belief that the family business is in good hands with the next generation. “Jeff is doing a fantastic job. He’s grown it more and he’s probably going to make it more profitable than I ever did,” he said. “He is a go-getter and not scared to jump in and do the work.” Forum file photo In addition to Jeff Ostlund, he leaves behind another son, Jesse Ostlund, and a daughter, Jenna Ostlund. The funeral will be on Friday, Nov. 13, at Salem Evangelical Free Church in Moorhead. Visitation: 1 p.m.; service: 2 p.m.; coffee and donuts to follow. Comments Share Share this article News Reporting News Reporting Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The Trust Project What is this? Tags Tags DOWNTOWN FARGO FOOD OBITS WEST FARGO FARGO By Tracy Briggs Tracy Briggs has more than 35 years of experience, in broadcast, print, and digital journalism. She is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer/host and has won numerous awards from the Minnesota Newspaper Association and the North Dakota Newspaper Association. You can reach Tracy at [email protected] . 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