More than 100 diverse people paid their last respects to Saunders Wednesday afternoon at Bethel A.M.E, where he was a longtime member, during a 90-minute funeral that touched on his impact in Middletown.
Saunders, 94, of Port Charlotte, Fla., passed away April 22. His ashes shared a table at the front of the church with a bell that simply was engraved: “He made a difference.”
Middletown Mayor Larry Mulligan, after delivering a tribute to Saunders, had the honor of ringing the bell for the last time, he said.
Esther Saunders, his wife of six years, said she planned to place a few of his ashes in an envelope and sprinkle them at Weatherwax Golf Course. Saunders, an avid golfer, sank a hole-in-one on Sept. 29, 1995 at Weatherwax.
Saunders was better known as “Choppy,” a nickname given to him by Glenn “Tiger” Ellison, a legendary football and basketball coach at Middletown High School. “Choppy” earned the nickname, old timers said, because he had a propensity to foul on the basketball court.
He was equally as aggressive in the work force and through his years of community service. He worked for Armco Steel for 44 years, retiring in 1985 as corporate supervisor of government and community affairs. He was the first black foreman at the Middletown mill. He also became the first black man elected to serve on Middletown City Commission in 1970 and also the city’s first black mayor. He was re-elected to City Commission in 1973, 1977 and 1981.
Herbert Mays, of Georgia, drove up for the funeral and said “they don’t come like him every day.” Mays said he was the first black disc jockey to work at WPFB, a former Middletown radio station, and he frequently sought Saunders’ advice.
“He was a role model,” Mays said. “He was a totally good man.”
Mulligan said because of Saunders’ work in the city, he was the “right man at the right spot at the right time.” That drew applause from those in the church.
He added Middletown has “lost a great man.”
The Rev. Melonie Valentine’s eulogy was entitled: “A life well spent.” She said Saunders had the ability to build bridges over turbulent waters when others refused to tackle such difficult challenges. She said he had “a special calling” for community service.
She praised him for three attributes: living well, speaking the truth to power and reaching above and beyond normal.
“Real leaders never shy away from telling the truth,” she said.
She noted that the best fruit on a tree is always located on the highest branches because it receives the most direct sun and rain. She said those seeking nourishment prefer to reach for the easiest fruit.
Not Saunders. “He was on the ladder,” she said.
She called him “a pillar” of our community and “a man after God’s heart.”
About the Author
