Maurice Marvin Sanders

Maurice Marvin Sanders (Mo, Morry, Sandy), age 79, passed away on April 12, 2021 in Wenatchee, Washington. He was preceded in death by his wife of 37 years, Esther Anna Sanders (Anderson), his sons Lee Sanders and Scott Toulou, and his twin, Mertyce Marion Hollister (Sanders). He is survived by his biological daughter, Mary Megan Kappler (Sanders), and her spouse, Peter Kappler; his son Troy Toulou, and his spouse, Lisa Toulou; and his son, Brian Toulou. He is also survived by his grandchildren: Rowan Kappler, Malcolm Kappler, Lauren Johnston, Connor Toulou, Adrienne West, Jacob Toulou, Emily Toulou; and his great-grandchildren: Sawyer West, Forrest West, and Samuel Johnston. Morry and his twin sister were born in Rochester, Minnesota, on January 10th, 1942. He grew up in Sturgis, South Dakota, residing with his parents (Clifford and Mabel) and his siblings in the cabin that his grandfather, Hans Hjalmar Greenfield (Gronvold), built upon emigrating to the United States from Norway. He is survived by his siblings, Sylvia White, Dwain Sanders, and Calvin Sanders. After all five children finished high school in Sturgis, Cliff and Mabel moved the family to Tacoma, Washington, so that they could attend Pacific Lutheran University. Morry earned a bachelor's degree in Economics and Business from PLU and a master's degree in Psychology from Central Washington University, which he attended after his return from deployment in Vietnam, where he served in the Army during the war. He married Lynn Rhoades Lybecker in 1974. They had one child together (Megan) and adopted a son (Lee) while living in Astoria, Oregon. For a time, Morry and his brother Dwain built houses in Spokane, Washington together, which he loved. Over the course of his life, Morry was a realtor (briefly), a professor at Clatsop Community College (he taught Statistics), a carpenter, and a Child Support Enforcement Officer for Washington State. He and Lynn divorced in 1981, and Morry then met and married Essie Anderson in 1983. They spent most of their married lives in the Upper Wenatchee Valley-Cashmere, Leavenworth, and Peshastin. Morry remodeled their Cashmere home completely during the 1980's and 1990's before moving to Merry Canyon in Leavenworth, where he and Essie purchased a beautiful home with the equity he built through his own hard work and skill. Every autumn, he and his brothers would go on "No-hunting" hunting trips to spend the weekend together and shoot the breeze rather than the wildlife. Morry loved "bumper sticker philosophy"-although oddly, he never had bumper stickers on his vehicles-and would often say "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing poorly." Perfection was never the goal. His support and love of his family, his children, and his grandchildren is evidence that he truly lived by this motto-he showed up-with every ounce of his humanity, with his strengths right alongside his weaknesses. He was always there with love and encouragement to the very best of his ability. Arrangements are by Chapel of the Valley.

Maurice Marvin Sanders

January 10, 1942 - April 12, 2021