Boyd E. Sanders

Boyd E. Sanders, 96, of Parsons, died at 5:50 a.m., Wednesday, September 12, 2012, at Elmhaven East Nursing Home where he had resided since March 14, 2012. He was born May 21, 1916, in rural Oswego, Kansas, to Charles Edward and Rhoda Della (Stice) Sanders. As a young boy, he grew up in the rural Oswego area where he attended elementary country schools and was a graduate of Oswego High School. During World War II, he served in the United States Army as a medic. Upon his honorable discharge, he returned to Parsons where he farmed and worked in the Tire Department at Montgomery Ward. He and Jim Bracken later formed a partnership and hauled freight for the M-K-T Railroad. He then worked 25 years as a machine operator for Kansas Gas Service, retiring in 1978. Following retirement, he thoroughly enjoyed helping Dr. Bud Hulsman with his horses and Dr. Bill Shields in his veterinary business with animals. He was a member of the Parsons Nazarene Church. The Great Southern Bank, formerly Team Bank, in Parsons, had recognized Boyd as being one of the oldest and long-time depositors with their firm. In younger years, he was fiddler in a band with his brothers and had won many competitions as a fiddler. He especially enjoyed gardening and spending time with his dear family and friends. He and Mable "Iown" Blackburn were married on August 16, 1943, in Joplin, Missouri. She preceded him in death on November 17, 2007. Survivors include his nephew, Norman Sanders of Spokane, Washington; niece, Jean Lacy and husband, Budd, of Thompson Falls, Montana; sister-in-law, Nona Sanders, of Erie, KS; and longtime dear friends, Bill and Madolyn Shields and family of Parsons. In addition to his wife, he was preceded in death by his son, Ray Edward "Buddy" Sanders; and three brothers, Blaine, Burl and Maurice "Sig" Sanders. Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Monday, September 17, 2012, at Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Parsons. Burial will be in Memorial Lawn Cemetery in Parsons. Friends may call at their convenience from 12:30 p.m. through 8:00 p.m., Sunday, at the funeral home. Memorials are suggested to Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice or the Cerebral Palsy Research Foundation of Kansas. These may be left at or mailed to Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home, P.O. Box 374, Parsons, KS 67357. Online condolences may be left at www.forbeshoffman.com. To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Boyd E. Sanders, please visit our flower store.