Martha Gray McEachern Sanders
August 8, 1936 – April 25, 2026
Martha Gray McEachern Sanders passed from this life on April 25, 2026. She was known as Marty to friends and family since her college days and as Mamie by her grandchildren.
She was born on August 8, 1936, in Memphis, Tennessee, to Thomas Atkinson McEachern and Frances Lee Jones. Martha was the middle child of three girls. Her happy childhood was spent in Riverside, Connecticut. Martha attended the local elementary school and graduated from Greenwich High School in 1954.
Martha attended Stevens College in Columbia, Missouri, for two years. She continued at the University of Missouri to complete her Bachelor of Science in Education in 1958.
Tommy Louis Sanders and Martha met at the University of Missouri, where he was also educated. During college years, Martha would visit Tom’s parents, Florence Begemann and Francis Noel Sanders, in Hermann, Missouri.
Martha and Tom were married on August 23, 1958, in Riverside, Connecticut. Tom was commissioned in the U.S. Navy, and his duty stations took them to fourteen different towns over his thirty-year military career. Martha made a new home for the family in each location. She taught elementary school before becoming a mother. Martha and Tom had a lifetime of devotion in marriage. Theirs was a partnership of love and commitment.
Their first child, Linda Lee, was born in Oak Harbor, Washington, in 1960; Kimberly Ann was born in Meridian, Mississippi, in 1962; and Robert Noel was born in 1971 in San Diego, California. Martha’s greatest joy was motherhood, and she was a loving, devoted and beloved mother. She was involved with her children’s activities, teaching Red Cross swimming lessons and leading a Camp Fire Girl troop.
Martha earned a Master's in Education at Virginia Tech in the 1990s. She entered private practice as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. Her specialty was working with children practicing a play therapy model. Martha continued to see clients into her 80s.
When Tom retired, he and Martha chose Bozeman, Montana, as their new home. They worked together to build a home positioned perfectly with views in every direction, staining many boards used inside and outside the house.
Martha was devoted to her faith, regular worship, and her church community. Often, the local Episcopal Church provided the first friendships made in a new town. She guided her children in religious practice. She served on her church vestry, as an usher, and on the altar guild. She found strength in daily scripture readings.
Martha was a lifelong learner. She became a runner at 40, studied Italian in her 60s, was an avid quilter in her 70s and 80s, and even completed the 7 mile Spanish Creek hike on her 85th birthday.
Martha made new friends and cherished the old ones – from childhood, college, the military community, work, the many places she lived, and her coffee shop.
Martha approached life with a sunny disposition. She delighted in the beauty of each moment and of the world around her. Martha was gentle and kind. She demonstrated enduring marital love and companionship. She embraced the love and joy of children and family. She is beloved and dearly missed by her husband and children.
Martha is survived by her loving husband, Tom Sanders; children, Linda Sanders (Michael Lockhart), Kimberly Sanders, Robert Sanders (Susan Burke); sister, Betty Dalsemer (Richard); brothers-in-law, Bill Sanders and Peter Streich; six beloved grandchildren; and many nieces and a nephew.
Martha is preceded in death by her parents; her sister, Frances Streich; sister-in-law, Geri Stewart; and her son-in-law, Scott Friestad.
A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be held at 3 P.M. on July 31, 2026, at St. James Episcopal Church, Bozeman, Montana. Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service. www.dokkennelson.com
