Obituary of Terry Lee Sanders

It is with profound sadness that we share the news of the sudden passing of Terry, beloved son, father, grandfather, brother, uncle, nephew and cousin to many; at his home on July 21, 2024 in Quesnel BC at the age of 64.

Terry will be missed by all who knew him. He was a kind friend of his community and helped many seniors with plumbing and maintenance problemsover the years. He was always willing to help a friend. He will be especially missed by his long-time friends of 43+ years, Lyon Twan, Alfred Prince, Tom Baumgart (Sandy) and Tom’s son Brandon.

Terry was predeceased by his biological father Sherman Lee Sanders (1988), his mother Roberta Ellen Campbell (2020), his aunt Faye May (2022), grandmothers Della Eppers (1987), Georgia Grant, (1970), grandfathers Clyde Eppers (1979), Robert Grant, (1967).

Terry is survived by his stepfather Harry Campbell, sisters Teresa Sanders and Jean Campbell, brother Tom Campbell (Darlene), sons Shawn (Shawna), Christopher and Ryan Sanders, grandchildren Aubree, Ava, Jayden, and Aimee, uncle Dave May, aunt Sandy Grant, cousins Debra Grant, Falina Creswell, Connie, Gail, Sheryl, Tina, Cindy (Sean), and Mike Grant, Dana Mohamad (Moe), Robin Adams, and Joanna Grant somewhere out there.

Terry came to Canada with his mother and sister in 1971 after his Grandmother Georgia passed away, when his mother Roberta followed her twin sister Barbara here to be with her for family support while they were both grieving and to have a new start at life. Terry was 11 years old. He didn’t stay for long and went to be with his father Sherman on and off for 4 years. When he was 15 years old he came back to Canada to stay and went to school where he excelled in academics and sports. He met his first love while in senior secondary and left school after grade 11 to be a man and started working in the mills in Quesnel to support him and his then new fiancé. He has been working ever since. Later on he met his wife to be, Laurel and they had a son, Shawn in 1983, soon after that they moved to the Yukon with his cousin Falina Mikkelson and her husband and friend Ray to work at building log homes at Beaver Creek, Yukon near the border of Alaska for a few years. When they returned from the Yukon they got married in 1986, he and Laurel had already moved south to the lower mainland of BC where he took up the plumbing trade to work with his father in law in his business. Terry became an excellent plumber and enjoyed the profession working the occasional job right up to almost his last day.

In his last years Terry found enjoyment working with wood and epoxy and he made some interesting projects that he sold or gave away as gifts. He also found inspiration to write some poetry again when he was at Baldy Hughes treatment center in 2019-20, and has left us with a few wonderful poems to give a glimpse into his mind at the time. They will be cherished by all of his family. He truly was a talented, and artistic person.

Terry’s ancestors are literally “Great White Hunters”; usually, that is a joke to most people but in this case it was very true. Both our paternal and maternal ancestors were farmers and blue collar workers. They didn’t have much, and to feed their families, they had to hunt and fish to put meat on the table. The men hunted and the women planted huge gardens to feed all the children. Terry was good at both. Terry learned his hunting and fishing craft at an early age. He loved every opportunity to visit Idaho to learn how to fish and hunt from his father and uncles and any other family members who would take him out into the wilderness. He proved to be a natural hunter. Later in life he looked forward to passing that knowledge onto his sons.

Fortunately with the help of the Baumgart brothers, Tom and Rob, Terry and his son Shawn were able to complete a family group moose hunt in the fall of 2023 and they dropped 2 bull moose. Terry is still providing for his family in a way to this day. I would like to think he is sitting at a campfire by a lake full of trout near a happy hunting ground enjoying the night sky with his dad Sherman, and Uncle Larry sitting with him swapping stories.

The family will be having a memorial for Terry in the spring of 2025, possibly in May. It will be announced in plenty of time so anyone who would like to come say their goodbyes or share a story around the campfire is welcome.