Durwood A. Sanderson, 85

Durwood Allen "Sandy" Sanderson passed away quietly Dec 2, 2023, in San Antonio, Texas.

He was born in Morehead City, N.C., on Sept 8, 1938, to Norfleet Mann Sanderson and Virginia (Williams) Sanderson Turner. He grew up in the tight-knit Crab Point neighborhood and had tons of adventures. 

He attended Morehead City High School and went on to the University of North Carolina. In 1959, he joined the Air Force and was assigned to a remote radar base on the U.S./Canadian border north of Cut Bank, Mont. That's where he married his life-long partner, Molly Doudna Sanderson. 

She once said, "He was unlike anyone I'd met. Funny, cute, smart and charming." He remained that way until the day he died, having charmed all the attendants in his assisted living facility.

Sandy was also very creative, which is what led him to newspaper advertising. As an ad salesman, he could meet new people, come-up with wacky ideas and out-of-the box solutions, and ultimately create amazing ads that grabbed the consumers' attention. He spent over 20 years working at the Great Falls Tribune, ending his tenure there as the Co-op advertising manager with three Tribune Creative Advertising awards under his belt.

He and Molly shared a love of horses. They started showing Appaloosas, then racing them, and then eventually raced Thoroughbreds. They were well-known in the Montana Appaloosa and Thoroughbred racing communities and actually bred, raised and raced world-champions.

He was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, and his siblings, Mary Frances Sanderson Smith and Thomas Turner Jr. He is survived by his daughter, Tracie Sanderson Partee, and his grandson, Maurice Jonathan Durwood Partee.

At the request of the deceased, the family has chosen not to have a service or memorial. They will instead bury part of his ashes in Cut Bank, next to his wife, and scatter part off the Atlantic Beach Causeway Bridge in Morehead City. 

Donations in Sandy's name can be made to the Crab Point Free Will Church, 2301 Crab Point Loop Rd., Morehead City, NC 28557.

Arrangements are with Porter Loring Mortuary West, 1710 W. Loop 1604. San Antonio, TX 78251; 210-891-0000.