Memorial honors Virginia Sanders

When Jeremy Whatmough stood at the podium he told the crowd that there are seldom good people in the world, but Virginia Sanders was one of them.

She died in April at the age of 93. On Aug. 6 a memorial service was held in her honor at Mote Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, one of the many places where she left her mark. Whatmough was one of the many to speak about Virginia, like the other speakers, he highlighted her four true loves: her family, Mote, the Longboat Key Garden Club and the environment. In a statement written by Rusty Chinnis, a member of the board of directors for the Sarasota Bay Watch, he called for the event to be considered a celebration.

“I love that this is a celebration of Virginia’s life because that’s exactly what her life was,” Brewer read from Chinnis' statement. “The celebration of the good in people, the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it.”

Throughout her life, Sanders wore many hats.To say she was just involved in many organizations would be an understatement according to the many friends, colleagues and family members who spoke in her honor Saturday. Chinnis explained it best. In his statement he wrote that Virginia was so many things to so many people.  

During her time on Longboat Key, she served as the president of the garden club for multiple years, volunteered at Mote for nearly four decades and illustrated “Marine Scene,” a monthly column in the Longboat Observer, which became a book that is still sold in the aquarium’s book shop. In addition to these, she volunteered with the Longboat Key Turtle Watch, the Sarasota Bay Watch and the Suncoast Camera Club and worked toward the preservation of the Sister Keys.

To commemorate her endless support, involvement and pioneering in many of Longboat Key’s organizations, a memorial brick will be placed in her honor in Mote’s garden. Former mayor Jim Brown also proclaimed Aug. 6 as “Virginia Sanders Day.” Brewer said when she heard the news upon her arrival in town she couldn’t speak.

“It was a fitting honor for my mother,” she said.

In addition to words from Brown and Whatmough, Roger Roberts, past director of Volunteer Resources at Mote shared his fondest memories of Sanders. Perhaps his favorite comes from his second day of work at Mote when she called, introduced herself and invited him over for dinner. He immediately put that date on the calendar. While talking about his relationship with Virginia over lunch with a friend, he was challenged to summarize Sanders in one sentence. He shared his attempt with the crowd.

“She possessed a profound understanding that the smallest expression of kindness moved a multitude,” he said.

Longboat Key Garden Club President Susan Phillips called Sanders “the conscience of the garden club,” and noted that she always had a twinkle in her eye. She wasn’t the only one to mention the twinkle. Both Whatmough and immediate past President of the Mote Volunteer Board Bob Cameron mentioned it in their speeches.

Her warm smile was another comforting memory for those in attendance. President and CEO of Mote Dr. Michael Crosby said her smile was remarkable and always there. Mote President Emeritus Dr. Kumar Mahadevan said he never saw her without a smile on her face. Sanders’ son-in-law Scott Brewer said he misses her sunshine but can still feel her warmth. Whatever capacity Sanders was working in, she touched the lives of those around her.

“Working with her showed me the force that one person could inspire so many people,” Brewer read from Chinnis’ statement. “She was constantly looking for ways to help others.”

Sanders’ granddaughter Marjorie Brewer shared her favorite memories of her grandmother, two of which were popular memories among the crowd: wandering around Mote and reading “Peanuts” cartoons.

“I’m going to miss sitting with her and telling her where my life has gone, what I’ve learned, what I believe, how much I look up to her and how much her love and light has guided me forward even in death,” Brewer said. “I’m trying to be like her. I’m trying to be positive, but nothing I do will ever mask how much I miss her.”

To many people on Longboat, Sanders was like family. One of her caregivers, Ami French, said it never felt like work when she was with Sanders. It just felt like being with family. Virginia’s former housekeeper and caregiver, Oda Schneider, said Sanders was like a mother to her, even if they did bicker on occasion.

Whether it be her nightly phone calls with Whatmough, watching sunsets with her granddaughter, planning an Arbor Day Celebration with the garden club or spending time at Mote, the community of Longboat Key will forever miss Virginia Sanders.