Russell Lee Sanders

A Celebration of Life service will be held for Russell (Russ) Lee Sanders on April 23, 2022 at 2 PM at the Dighton Marler Funeral Home in Perry.

Russ, 68, passed away Friday, December 31, 2021 in Cape Coral, Florida. He was born in Perry, Oklahoma on May 6, 1953 to Lee and Patricia (McClure) Sanders. He left behind two loving brothers, Mark Sanders, married to Shirley, sons Martin and Will, and Mike Sanders, married to Renee, daughters Meagan, Madison, and Kendra. His wife’s sister, Joyce Anderson and husband Tom Runnels, reside in Orlando, Florida.

He married Kathy Anderson Sanders on August 10, 1973 in Cushing, Ok. They were married 48 years. From this union was born one son, Brian Sanders. Brian, and wife Kim, are currently living in Gerber, CA.

Russ graduated from Red Rock High School in 1971. In high school, he was president of FFA and also student council president. His senior year, he was captain of his basketball team that took district and regional championships in their division his junior and senior year. He later attended Oklahoma State University (OSU) where he majored in Agriculture Economics.

Russ spent, many years following the career he loved. He started his flying career in Charleston, WV in 1979 for Eagle Aviation and was proud of his Golden Eagle Award given to him when he returned to Tulsa to continue his career as a corporate pilot for Arrow Engineering and Lincoln Property Company. In 1989, he began flying for US Airways as a commercial pilot. While working for US Airways, Russ, Kathy, and Brian moved to Tampa, FL and later moved further south to Cape Coral, enjoying living on canals that connect to the Gulf of Mexico. In 2004, Russ returned to corporate flying for Samina with a Silicon Valley California based company, and he remained there as Chief Pilot and Director of Flight Operations until his retirement in 2019. Upon retirement he said, “I can truly say I enjoyed every day I went to work.”

After retirement, Russ and Kathy retired to Florida living on Marco Island for a short time before purchasing their dream home in Cape Coral, Florida. His favorite part of the day was sitting on his lanai, watching the sunset, and enjoying happy hour.

Russ’s mother, Pat Sanders, resides in her home in Perry, Oklahoma.

Preceded in death by his Father on February 22, 2021, and his uncle, Gene Sanders on July 15, 2017.

A streaming link for the memorial service is listed in the events below.