Thomas Charles Sanders

On September 2, 2015 THOMAS C. SANDERS, Sr.; beloved husband of Nancy R. Sanders (nee Reddy) and the late Jeanne Krager Sanders; devoted father of Thomas C. Sanders, Jr., Linda S. Obringer, Barbara S. Franke and Lauren S. Lorber; grandfather of Ryan V. and Michael G. Obringer, Christina J. Childs, Gregory C., Kathryn L. and Bradley S. Franke, Nicole S., Matthew T. and Kate E. Lorber, T.C., III and Pierce B. Sanders; great-grandfather of Reagan J., Samuel R. and Brooke E. Obringer; brother of the late John W. Sanders, Jr., Elizabeth S. Wich and Mary B. Hohman.

The family will receive friends at the LEMMON FUNERAL HOME OF DULANEY VALLEY, INC., 10 W. Padonia Road, Timonium, MD 21093 on Sunday, 2-6pm. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in St. Joseph Church, 101 Church Lane, Cockeysville, MD 21030 on Monday, September 7 at 10am. Interment services will follow at the St. John the Evangelist Church Cemetery, Hydes, MD. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be directed in Tom’s memory to the St. Joseph’s Medical Center Foundation, 7601 Osler Drive, Jordon Center Suite 158, Towson, MD 21204 &/or the charity of your choice.

Thomas C. Sanders, Sr., a retired co-founder of The Sanders Company, a wholesale millwork distributor, died September 2, 2015 of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, surrounded by his family. He was 88 years old.

The son of the late John W. Sanders, Sr., original owner of The Sanders Company, and the late Elizabeth Myers Sanders, a homemaker, Thomas C. Sanders was born in Baltimore and spent his early years growing up in the Forest Park area of Baltimore City while being taught at Our Lady of Lourdes School. He graduated from there in 1940. He later attended Calvert Hall College and graduated in 1944.

In 1944, at the age of 17, he enlisted in the Navy during World War II and was assigned to the 6th fleet in the Southwest Pacific and traveled 10,000 miles from home to the Philippines. He implemented his navigation training on an ocean-going fleet tug named the USS Hidatsa. He was honorably discharged from the Navy at the end of the war as a Quartermaster 3rd Class. He often stated how proud he was to have served the best country in the world.

After his service, he attended Mount Saint Mary’s College in Emmitsburg, Maryland in September of 1946 on the G. I. Bill of Rights. He graduated from the Mount in 1950. The day after graduating from college, Mr. Sanders started working at the family business. At a 25th Anniversary Party celebrating The Sanders Company held in April of 1979, Mr. Sanders commented that the Sanders family considered all who worked at the company a part of their family, even if their last name was not Sanders. He also expressed his sincere gratefulness to all who helped make The Sanders Company what it was at that time. He retired in 2001 from the family business at the age of 75.

After six months of retiring, Mr. Sanders began volunteering at Saint Joseph’s Medical Center in Towson, Maryland. He found pleasure in helping others prior to their ambulatory surgical procedure for 13 years. He contributed over 6,000 hours in helping others from 6 am to noon for two days a week. In his resignation letter that he shared with the family, he noted that he had enjoyed meeting so many nice and caring people at St. Joe’s and that he believed his time there personally helped him enjoy retirement. He also loved watching his 11 grandchildren play in their many sports, enjoyed vacationing with his family at Fenwick Island, Delaware, and was an avid sports enthusiast cheering on both the Ravens and the Orioles. He recently sent an email to his family members stating that the three most important things in life are family, God, and the Ravens/Orioles! He also enjoyed reading and working on Sudoku puzzles.

In 1953, he married Jeanne Mildred Krager, a homemaker, and they had four children together. They resided in Glen Arm. Mrs. Jeanne Sanders died in 1974 at the age of 46. Mr. Sanders remarried in 1977 to Nancy Marie Reddy. They were two weeks shy of celebrating their 38th wedding anniversary while residing in Sparks.

Mr. Sanders is also survived by his son, Thomas C. Sanders, Jr. of Bel Air, and his daughters, Linda S. Obringer of Shrewsbury, Barbara S. Franke of Glen Arm, and Lauren S. Lorber of Reisterstown. He was the proud grandfather to not only 11 grandchildren but also 3 great- grandchildren. One of his favorite quotes was from Abraham Lincoln: “It is not the years in your life that count; it is the life in your years.”