Raymond Sanders of Cottage Grove died Jan 14, 2012, of melanoma and pneumonia at the age of 87.

He was born Oct. 1, 1924, in Enterprise to Clyde and Cynthia Chambers Sanders.

He married Vadna Dale on Dec. 20, 1946 in Enterprise. She preceded him in death in 1998. He married Ellen Thomas Hass Roner on June 16, 2005, in Eugene.

Mr. Sanders attended school in Enterprise and attended Edison Tech School.

He served in the Merchant Marines from 1944 to 1946, and worked in production for Boeing in Seattle from 1948 to 1962. He was an electronics technician.

His career also included two years at Cape Canaveral, assisting in the telemetry of the two ground launches of the Minute Man missiles. He then worked for ITT at Vendenberg Air Force Base.

Survivors include his wife Ellen of Cottage Grove; two sons, David and Jerry, both of Arlington, Texas; a stepson, Larry Hass of Vancouver, Wash.; a sister, Addie Marks of Enterprise; three grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a daughter, Diana Wilson, who died in 2006; and a granddaughter, Brienne Sanders.

A celebration of life was held Saturday, Jan. 21, at Smith-Lund-Mills Funeral Chapel in Cottage Grove. Inurnment was at Fir Grove Cemetery. Remembrances may be made to the American Cancer Society in Eugene.