Barbara Joan Sanderson

friends on January 20th, 2024.

Barbara was born April 16, 1938 to Harry and Ursula Hoffman in

Runnemede, New Jersey and later moved to Audubon, New Jersey where she

graduated from Audubon High School She was a “Jersey Girl”. After

graduation she worked in Philadelphia and attended Pierce College. In

1961 she married Kenneth C. Sanderson and moved to College Park,

Maryland where husband Ken was working on his PhD at the University of

Maryland. At that time Barb worked at the Prince Georges County

Welfare Board. Upon completion of Ken’s degree, they moved to Baton

Rouge, Louisiana where her husband took a job as researcher/ teacher

at Louisiana State University. Later they moved to Auburn, Alabama

where Ken worked as a Professor of Horticulture at Auburn University.

Two of the years at Auburn were spent on sabbatical leaves in San Luis

Obispo, California where Ken was a guest lecturer at California

Polytechnic State University. While living in Auburn, Barb was active

in the University Newcomers and Campus Clubs and other clubs around

town.

Upon retirement they moved to Sarasota, Florida. The theatre scene

was a big draw and volunteer ushering became a passion. Barb ushered

for The Banyan Theatre, Historic Asolo Theatre, West Coast Black

Theatre, the Asolo Repertory Theatre and Players Theatre for the

Performing Arts where she ushered for over two decades, being the team

captain at the Players for that same length of time. She was awarded a

certificate of recognition for her outstanding dedication and support

of the Westcoast Black Theater Troupe. Their love of theatre took them

on many flights to New York to see the latest play or musical to hit

Broadway. Due to her interest in politics she worked as an activist in

Alabama, Florida and California. She was invited to Leon Panetta’s

first congressional victory party for her efforts in California. She

worked as a Poll worker (clerk) for local and National elections in

all of the states she lived in.

Barb and Ken loved to travel and visited many places in the world.

All of these trips offered something special to remember with China

being her favorite place she ever visited. As short as many of these

trips were, she became a friend for life with many of the people that

she met on these trips. She loved people and the people that she met

on those trips returned that love. She was a member of the First

Presbyterian Church in Auburn, Alabama and The Church of the Palms in

Sarasota, Florida. She loved her family dearly and was a beloved Wife,

Mother, Grandmother and Great-grandmother. She is survived by her

husband Ken, daughter Lesley Mace of Birmingham, Alabama, son Ken

(Denise) Sanderson of San Francisco and grandchildren Conor (Jessica)

Sanderson, Sea Johnson, Philip (Jillian) Johnson, Tiera Bass and Amani

(Adam) Lester and great-grandchildren, Cailyn and Harper Sanderson,

Andrew and Genevieve Lester.

Her final resting place will be in Eglington Cemetery in Clarksboro,

New Jersey. A memorial service is pending in Sarasota, Florida.