John William Saunders

John William Saunders was born on July 6, 1986. He is survived by his parents, Dr. John F. Saunders and Lynn Hamrick Saunders; brother, Jacob Steven Saunders and wife Karina Dierolf Saunders and nephew Finnley Steven. He leaves behind a wife, Katie Ann Henderson and son, Colin James Saunders.

John grew up around the Jamestown area. He graduated high school from Westchester Academy. He went to college at Western Carolina and later transferred to Full Sail University where he graduated with a BA in video game art. John married his college sweetheart, Katie and they had a beautiful son, Colin. After graduating from Full Sail with impressive credentials, John turned down a job at Apple to stay close to home. He worked as a freelance artist and at a variety of other jobs. He was on the cusp of starting a new career as an insurance adjuster when God took him suddenly on May 7, 2023.

But what does that really tell us about the man he was? He had an easy-going, friendly style that drew people close to him. But where did he develop that? What experiences shaped him?

At his core, John was a Renaissance Man. He traveled all over the world. He saw the ruins of Rome, and the waterways of Venice. He sampled the rich Tuscan foods of Florence. He toured the Galapagos Islands on board a sail boat and hand -lined fish for his own dinner. In Ecuador, he ate escargot for the first time and loved it. He saw Athens and much of the Greek Isles. He reveled in the new flavors he discovered in these faraway lands. He traveled through Europe and drank wine in Spain. He visited ancient Mayans ruins and set atop the great pyramid at Chichen Itza.

He was an avid scuba diver and dived all the best diving spots in the Caribbean including Little Cayman and The Turks and Caicos. He drank sundowner Gin and Tonics in Botswana and Zambia. John walked on foot safaris with wild lions and elephants. He fished among the hippo and crocodiles of the waterways in Africa. He stalked grizzly and black bear on foot with a camera in British Columbia. He stood in a freezing stream surrounded by trout as they migrated past. He fished for big bull drum off the coast of North Carolina.

He regularly surfed for over a decade in Costa Rica. Once he even rode a rare wave the locals estimated at eighteen feet that did its best to drown him. Yet he survived to tell the tale.

He learned to Kite Board and to hang glide. He enjoyed canoe camping. He tried rock climbing and rappelling. He went caving. He did some modeling. He rolled a kayak. He went white water rafting in Utah. He rode horses in the NC mountains. He rode a motorcycle. He played Rugby at Western Carolina. He trained in Tae Kwando and later Kumdo (Korean sword fighting). He studied boxing. He took firearm classes from Blackwater and was recruited by them (although thankfully he turned them down).

He was a fearless cook, excited by exotic foods and creating his own versions. He loved to talk about food and the various spices used to enhance their flavor. He watched almost every cooking show available. He ate plates full of crawfish and fried alligator in New Orleans. Tried Kalua pig in Hawaii. Ate Cawl in Wales and drank Meade in York. And of course, with his ancestors hailing from Scotland, he had to eat Haggis. He loved it all.

And oh, how he loved to make people laugh. Maybe he should have been a stand-up comic. What a sense of humor he had. With a quick wit and a ready smile, he was always watching for a chance to make someone smile. He loved every kind of humor from dad jokes to the dirtiest ones you could imagine. He loved to tease and be teased in turn.

Unable to find a job as an environmental artist he was relegated to playing his beloved video games and enjoying movies and books. He became a Twitch streamer and founded a group of willing warriors like himself. Yet his creativity wouldn’t let him stay on the sidelines. He acted as an uncredited script advisor to a number of movies. He was seen as an idea man. The one who could take strange movie pairings and make them seem like logical concepts. He understood what people wanted to see in a film and how to twist recognizable genres into new ways.

John saw himself as a modern-day warrior with a code of honor and a penance for kindness. Yet it was his truly gigantic heart that was his greatest gift. John deeply wanted to be a good son, a good brother, a good friend, a good husband, and most importantly a good father. He felt his primary job in life was to guide his son into growing up to be a good man. Above anything in this world, he loved Colin the most. He loved every second they spent together. Whether it was building a fire, throwing a ball, playing Robloxs, watching a movie or teaching him boxing. John was Colin’s dad, the King of the Werewolves. Colin was his world and there was nothing he wouldn’t do for him.

Let us never forget what a truly wonderful man John became. He is watching us all now. Challenging us to be the best people we can be. His was a life well lived. Remember him. Share your favorite stories. Reflect on what he meant in your life. Raise a toast to him sometime. He will be missed greatly. We will surely see him on the other side.

A gathering and reception will be held from 1 to 4 PM, Saturday, May 20, 2023 at Hanes-Lineberry Sedgefield Chapel. Online condolences may be offered at www.haneslineberryfhsedgefield.com.