Dennis Fisher Sanderson

TRAVERSE CITY – Dennis Fisher Sanderson, 69, of Traverse City, lost his battle with cancer on May 7, 2022, in his home surrounded by family.
Dennis was born in Highland Park (Michigan) on October 2, 1952, to the late Clifford Fisher & Elizabeth June (Weston) Sanderson. Dennis attended Howe Military School in Howe, Indiana from 1968-1971, graduating with the rank of Cadet Sergeant. He played drums, was active in the thespian club, was a member of the military drill team, and wrote for the Howe Herald newspaper. Upon graduation, he returned to Michigan to work at the family business - Sandy's Mobil Filling Station & Garage - while he attended Schoolcraft College where he earned his Associate Degree in 1972. He soon began a career at Jervis B. Webb Company in Novi as an electrical controls designer, but having spent summers on Sugar Island, near Sault Ste. Marie, he was looking for a chance to get back to nature. He gladly accepted the opportunity to transfer "up north" to the Harbor Springs location of Jervis B. Webb in 1987.
A career opportunity at RM Young, a meteorological instrument manufacturing company, presented itself in Traverse City in 1991. This was the beginning of a long and successful career as a sales engineer. Dennis proudly told friends and family that equipment from his company is used around the world. He considered himself fortunate to be one of few civilians to appreciate the view from the towers of the Mackinac Bridge, having ascended to the pinnacle to inspect wind monitoring devices installed atop the suspenders of the Mighty Mac. He retired in 2018 after 28 years as a part of the RM Young family.
Travel had previously been an interest of Dennis', having been bitten by the travel bug as a teenager when he accompanied his mother on a tour of Europe for several weeks in 1963-64. Dennis traveled in South and Central America as well, his favorite being a trip to Machu Picchu with his mother in 1988. While out hunting for morel mushrooms in the spring of 1994, Dennis met Shirley Summers, who was to become his second wife many years later in 2008. The two of them enjoyed traveling together, to locations within Michigan, as well as out west to Colorado, down south to Florida and Louisiana, and as far abroad as Switzerland and the Galapagos Islands.
Table Tennis was a passion that Dennis pursued throughout his life. He competed in the 1972 US National Championships. After many years of floating from club to club, Dennis found the perfect challenger and doubles partner, Don Hayden, who became his closest friend. In 2012, Dennis became a certified umpire for the USATT, and he continued playing until his passing in 2022.
Photography was a favorite hobby, and Dennis preferred capturing nature - landscapes, birds in motion, waterfalls, closeups of flowers. Several of his photos have been exhibited at Crooked Tree Arts Center in Petoskey. There are relatively few photographs of Dennis because he always volunteered to be the one behind the camera at family gatherings.
Dennis was preceded in death by his parents and his wife Shirley Summers. Dennis is survived by his brother Richard (Mary) Sanderson of Winter Haven (Florida), niece Carrie Sanderson of Marquette, nephew Jeffrey Sanderson of Sault Ste. Marie, sister-in-law Tessalin Green of Boulder (Colorado), daughter Sara Quigley who lives abroad, daughter Sandra (Edward) Potrafke of Traverse City, and son Matthew Quigley of Kingsley. Also missing Dennis are his four beloved grandchildren: Matthew Quigley Jr., and Alex, Reagan, and Jaxon Potrafke.
A celebration of life gathering will take place Sunday, May 22, 2022 from 2-4pm at Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home, located at 305 Sixth Street, Traverse City, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to: Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy ( www.gtrlc.org ) or the Cherryland Humane Society ( www.cherrylandhumane.org ).
Special thanks to: the Hospice of Michigan care team, Cowell Cancer Center, and the support system of family, friends, and neighbors.
The family is being served by: Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home