Roland Sander Obituary

Dear Friends -

I have pitiful few words with which to give you the giant that was our father or the oceanic depths that was our mother. I can say that one could not be thought of without the other. One truely shaped the other.

You have all captured the essence of this man - giving his all for our mother and then for us. We have all been blessed with and by that umbrella.

He would be pleased (perhaps he is!) to have such incredibly heartfelt thoughts sent his way and yes, he felt that way about you and I. He may not have said so, though say so he did often! He spoke to us of common sense, of rightness, and of purpose. These were his tools of communication and teaching.

He devoted his life to his wife, no more evident than in later years. Their's was a strong bond that was born the day they met and continues I am sure, today. A keen observer of life, our mother often spoke of the nature of things. Her gift to us was the measure of the man she married and his gift was a demonstration of those qualities of character that would sustain us as a teaching example.

I cannot tell you of all I learned from our father - but, I will always be humbled and just a bit awed by the empty shoes at the door. He was afterall just a man - but what a GOOD man!

Roland - the Younger
October 7, 2009

So sorry to hear of your father's passing. I'm sure that he is in a better place. My prayers are with you and your family at this time. Marilyn Hutchinson

Uncle Roland was the best of men. He brought joy and interest to every stage of my life. I miss him more than I am willing to ponder.

I met Mr & Mrs Sander through my friendship with their daughter Katie.

Right from the first time I met them, they made me feel welcome in their home and through the years, they became a new set of parents for me.
And I realized it was a home full of laughter which I loved.

I had many long discussions with them both about many subjects from politics right up to family values. I had many good times at the Sander home and was torn when I moved out of state to North Carolina because I wouldn't get a chance to see them very often.

I was saddened to learn of Mrs Sander's passing as well. I know they're together now and they are watching over us all as Katie Anne stated in her guest book entry.

Please know that the entire Sander Family is in my thoughts and Prayers during this difficult time.

Sincerely,

Audrey
P.S. All my love to everyone

To the entire Sander family:

I am so sorry to learn of Mr Sander's passing. My thoughts and Prayers are with you all during this time.

Please feel free to email me at any time.

Love and Prayers,
Audrey

I can't write anything good, Grandpa was the best man there could be and even more. But now that my grandparents are gone I feel like the first half of my life has been erased. I wish I had consoling words for all of you but that's just not how I feel. I know he wouldn't want us to be sad. In fact I can hear him now "Why are you making such a big deal out of this?" Its just hard not to be sad for any of us who have known Grandpa. He commanded respect and gave deep love to all of us. Nothing could ever take his place in my heart. But lately during day to day life I've found myself in a haze. I feel so forlorn with out them. The only thing I can do to distract myself is concentrate on being the kind of granddaughter they can be proud of. And I remember that they're watching over me and all of their family and friends. So what I want you to remember is "Hey...behave yourself!"

Dear Sander Family,
Sometimes I called him Roland but most times it was "Grand Dad". He was such a gentleman. Always happy to see you. He loved his family and it showed. He will be missed by everyone.
He was truly the nicest man I have ever known.
God bless.
Judy & Ernie Di Benedetto

In Memory of Your Father

When the joys
are still remembered
But the sorrow
has quietly gone,
There will always be
a special place
In the heart —
where love lives on.

Mr and Mrs Sander's home welcomed my daughter as if she was their own. His strong spirit will be remembered. His kindness will not be forgotten, he will be missed.

Heartfelt wishes to the Sander family through this time.
Mr. and Mrs. Sander's home always welcomed my daughter Kate as if she were their own. His strong spirit will not be forgotten. He faced the good times and the bad times with a strength that I greatly admired and respected.
May your special memories comfort you.
Pat Gottshalk

We wish to extend to the entire family our sincere condolences on the loss of Roland. We had the pleasure of meeting him through our acquaintance with Dave and Kate as fellow reenactors. Every time we got together, he always had a smile, welcomed us with a great story, and some little comment for the kids. I only wish we could have shared one more bottle of "grog" with him. Know that you are all in our prayers as you grieve and share your memories. We will always remember him fondly.

I never knew my Grandfathers. they both passed away before I was born.
when I married Roland's granddaughter Amy, I got to see what it meant to have a grandfather. he always made me feel so welcome, and that it was important I was there. he was always glad to see you, I loved that feeling.
I now get to say for the rest of my life that Roland Sander was my Grandfather. I'm proud of that.
thanks Grand-Dad!
love,
Kevin Mooney

I was just thinking today while I was making the kids lunch (PBJ), how much I am going to miss your homemade raisin bread. XOXO
I hope you knew how much these things meant to me!

Dear Sander Family,

I knew Mr. and Mrs. Sander, Roland and Katherine (Gnida), through my friendship with their son Dave. Very few people have the ability to instantly make a friend feel genuinely welcome. Whether at church, somewhere in public, or in their home, both Roland and Katherine had this gift. For those that knew them, no further explanation is needed to recall their demeanor. Although it is some time since Katherine has passed, we would like to take this opportunity to honor them both.

We offer our sincere condolences to Roland's surviving children, grandchildren and relatives.

I am finding it very hard to put into words the way that my Grandfather made me feel. He was the kind of man that any man would be lucky to have even half of the qualities that my Grandfather possessed. I loved him very much. My children, his great grandchildren, will grow up the rest of their lives hearing the wonderful memories that I have of him, and hopefully be able to recall a few of their own. They will know how wonderful this man was.

For as long as I can remember I have looked up to my grandfather. When I was a little girl my sisters and I would sit in front of the window with my grandmother waiting for him to get home from work. Just his presence was comforting. He was one of three most important men in my life and always will be. There are many things I will miss; Seeing him so excited to see his great grandchildren, even they were comforted by him and could sleep in his arms for hours; Calling him after LOST episodes just to see what he thought; Coloring Easter Eggs; Thanksgiving dinner, the list could go on. Besides my father he was the man that I looked up to. He only ever had to raise his voice to me once and after that one time, I respected him forever. Because of course I was in the wrong. I miss him dearly, My children miss him dearly. As do so many other people.
I love you grampa! You are forever comfortable.

To the Sander Family-

First, please accept my sincerest condolences on the recent death of Roland Sander.

As you know, I had the privilege of knowing Roland and Kitty for many years while she was battling her heart disease. When I would see their names on the patient list for the day, I would smile and know that I would find a courageous woman and her rock. Roland truly was a rock. That is, he was always there for her. He was steady, attentive, compassionate and always a gentleman. His spirituality would shine through on a regular basis. To me, Roland was everything a man should be. Even at the end, he accepted his illness and death with dignity and strength. He was and will continue to be a role model for us all. You must miss him very much.

As a physician, I have seen many people die, and I have seen many families go through the grief process. Do not be surprised if you find that you have inconsolable sadness at times. But, you may find that, at other times, you are not so sad or even elated when you recall some special moment with Roland. Remember that you should ask for help from each other and use the strength of your family. Also, remember that others will seek you out, and be open to their needs. Let God guide you in this and in all things. Let the grief process occur, for it truly is a process that takes time.

For my part, I shall always recall Roland and Kitty together in the office. We would find time to talk about the Cubs (and the Mets). I guess Roland finally landed in the bleachers and was not thrown back as he landed safely in Kitty’s arms. Wouldn’t be ironic if the Cubs finally won the Series this year?

Sincerely, George Wiemann
September 14, 2008

It is so uncommon for a son to be able to get past seeing his father as his father and see him as a man and fellow human being. I have been blessed with that rarity. I love that man, my father, and I always will.

I shall miss you and your wife as I miss my own parents. You both added the necessary stabilty to all our lives and it was my honor to know you both.