Doris Sanders

Doris M. Sanders passed away peacefully at home on December 19, 2023, in Plano, Texas. She was born on February 10,1936 to Chesley Owens and Marie Musick, in Mt. Vernon, Illinois. Growing up in Mt. Vernon with her brothers Don and Robert, she was a cheerleader at the high school. Doris attended the University of Illinois in Champaign and graduated with a teaching degree. She was a member of the Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and continued to support her sorority sisters for over 50 years.

Returning to Mt. Vernon after college to teach, she met and married Sylvester Sanders of Benton, Illinois in 1958. Her two children, Mark and Gayle were born in Mt. Vernon in 1960 and 1962 at Good Samaritan Hospital. Doris was a dedicated wife who stayed at home to raise the children through Syl’s job transfers to Kansas City, Missouri, Dallas, Texas, Racine, Wisconsin and Plano, Texas.

Doris was a talented seamstress.  She made clothing for the family and eventually became a master quilter. Several of her quilts brought top dollar for charities at auctions during her prime. She was a longtime member of the JVP Quilters Club in Plano.  Her collection of over 30 quilts, made during her lifetime, is a testament to how passionate and talented she was—several of her quilts were made specifically for her children and grandchildren.

In the late 1960’s and early 1970’s, Doris became an avid tennis player and “sun worshiper”.  You could always find her poolside during the pool season, and she sported a quite dark suntan during these times. The cocoa butter and suntan oil of this time period allowed for great tanning but also resulted in skin cancer in her later years.  As the sun worshiping season would pass, Doris would return to sewing. Her tennis playing was year-round and lead to her addiction to the Tennis Channel on cable TV, later in life.

Doris learned many other crafts over the years and seemed to master all of them. She was an avid bridge player and Bunco was a passion later in life. She also worked crossword puzzles every day of her life. The highlight of her mornings was getting the newspaper and completing the crossword puzzle. There was no need for her to check the answers the next day—she was always right. The crossword puzzle from the December 18, 2023, issue of the Dallas Morning News was found in her chair, completely worked in red ink.

She is survived by her children, Mark Sanders (Suzanne) of Irving, Texas and Sylvia Gayle Kohlmann-Webb (Udo) of Fountain Hills, Arizona, her grandchildren, Jera Dawn Roberts (Nick), Tori Gwen Kohlmann, Peter John Kohlmann VII (Tayla) and Cole Stefan Read, and her great grandchildren, Tyler Ian Roberts, Lauren Marion Roberts and Taryn Rose Vaughn.

Doris was a member of First United Methodist Church in Richardson, Texas.

The family will receive friends at a visitation on Thursday, January 11, 2024, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. and a funeral service will be held on Friday, January 12, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. Both will be at Allen Family Funeral Options.  If you wish to join the services via webcast, please visit: https://webcast.funeralvue.com/events/viewer/96384