Beloved wife of 60 years to the late Oscar J. Sanders; loving mother of son, David and his wife, Kim of Centreville, VA and daughter, Cindy of Fairfax, VA; grandmother to Christopher and wife, Cristin, Courtney, Rhya and Dakota, great-grandmother to Ragon and Lia. She is also survived by sisters Frances Brandon of Birmingham, Alabama, Jeanne Deaver of Lakeland, Florida and her faithful canine companion, Zoey.

She was born in Birmingham, Alabama on November 2, 1928 to James Arthur and Eva Doris Patterson and was the oldest of three children. She graduated from Ramsey High School in Birmingham, Alabama in 1945. In 1948, she married Oscar. Their journey together in life included a 32 year military career and an eight year stop in Saudi Arabia.

She spent the past 24 years in Fairfax Station, VA. While spending the majority of her life caring for her home and family, she worked as the director of finance at Robert E. Lee High School in Springfield, VA for several years.

Her passions included golf, gardening, ladies clubs, and bridge. She has been an active member of several organizations including the Fort Belvoir Ladies Golf Association, the Burke Lake Ladies Golf, Association, the Twin Lakes Ladies Golf Association, the Quartermaster Ladies Club, the Women''s Association of Northern Virginia and the Belvoir Belles, Red Hat Society.

She will be remembered as a person who loved her family, was a dear friend to many, and as someone who had a passion for the game of golf.

Visitation will be on Friday, May 21 from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. at Fairfax Memorial Funeral Home, 9902 Braddock Road, Fairfax, Virginia. Funeral services will be held on July 6, 3 p.m. at the Old Post Chapel on Fort Myer in Arlington. She will be buried with Oscar at Arlington National Cemetery. www.fmfh.com


Published in The Washington Post on May 9, 2010