Ellen Sanders Obituary - Visitation & Funeral Information

We celebrate the life of Ellen Melvina Sanders, a woman who was truly one of a kind and will forever be missed. Melvina, as she preferred to be called, was born in Detroit on February 26, 1949 and was the oldest of four children born to Romer and Ellen Ferguson. As a child, Melvina and her family worshipped at St. Mary’s Episcopalian Church. After graduating from Cass Technical High school, Melvina attended Michigan State University where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education. She would later go on to earn a Master’s Degree in Secondary Math Education from the University of Detroit. Melvina always believed that a solid education was essential and spent decades teaching Math to high school students at Redford High School and Walled Lake Western High School. After retirement, she continued to contribute her talents to advancing education by tutoring students at Hartford Memorial Baptist Church, as well as friends and family members that asked for her assistance with their math classes. Melvina married Terry Archie Sanders and they were blessed with two children, Kimberly and David. Kimberly and Melvina shared a love of travel and cherished the “Mother/Daughter” trips they took together. Kimberly also inherited Melvina’s love for the theater and live music. David and Melvina shared a love for good food, and the two of them would often enjoy dinner together at restaurants or at home, where they would watch Melvina’s favorite show, Law & Order, together. Melvina was a phenomenal mother who loved spending time with her kids and with her three grandchildren, who were her pride and joy. Melvina inherited a passion for sewing from her mother Ellen. She was quite a talented seamstress and loved shopping for the fabrics and patterns that she used to make many of her own stylish outfits. There were several other hobbies that Melvina had, and as a lifelong learner she was always taking lessons to learn more about various things. She had a love for dancing, and over the years took dance classes to learn the latest Detroit ballroom and Detroit hustles. She developed an affection for golf after retirement and had taken golf lessons to sharpen her golf swing. Learning American Sign Language had been something she’d always wanted to do, and she also briefly took lessons to learn the basics of ASL. Melvina loved her hometown of Detroit, and constantly made time to give back to the community. She had been a volunteer at the Belle Isle Conservancy, where she served as a docent in the aquarium providing visitors with info on the various aquatic animals that were on display. She also served as a Board Member and Recording Secretary for Renaissance Head Start, an organization that strives to play a key role in early childhood development to ensure kids are prepared to enter school. Melvina was an exceptionally thoughtful person. She would often send sweet cards to friends and loved ones to help them celebrate a birthday, to express condolences for their losses, or just because she wanted them to know she was thinking about them. She also loved sending inspirational or funny memes via text, which always lifted the spirits of those that received them. She had an incredible sense of humor, and a hearty laugh that could be infectious. She was an extremely intelligent woman with a quick wit, a huge heart, and an honest and straightforward knack for “telling it like it is”. She was truly a special lady whose memory will be cherished by those that knew and loved her. Ellen Melvina Sanders peacefully departed this life on December 10, 2021. She was preceded in death by her parents (Romer and Ellen Ferguson)) and her brother (Ralph Ferguson, Sr). She leaves to cherish her memories her children Kimberly Leniar (Malcolm) and David Sanders (Amanda), and her grandchildren Kendall Lucy, Donovan Leniar and Sienna Leniar. She is survived by her siblings Joanna Childs and Andrew Ferguson (Linda), nephews Ralph Ferguson Jr (Misha) and Lamont Ferguson (Cynthia) and beloved grandnephew and grandnieces, cousins, and countless friends. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Belle Isle Conservancy in Melvina’s name. Please encourage the Sanders family with words of love and encouragement on our Tribute page.

Ellen Sanders

February 26, 1949 - December 10, 2021