We lost our beautiful and brave mother, Shirley Ann Sanderson (Putnick), a long-time resident of Westland, Michigan, on May 21, 2020 at the age of 84. She will be dearly missed.
She was the loving mother of Deborah Sanderson and Susan Sanderson (John Briggs). Beloved grandmother of Olivia Briggs and dear sister of Volney George Putnick (June, deceased). Shirley was preceded in death by her brother John Putnick (Kay), her aunt, Marie Steffan and her parents, George and Wilma Putnick. She is also survived by many other loving family and friends whom she cared for deeply.
Shirley was born at home in Dearborn, Michigan on December 19, 1935. After graduating from Fordson High School in 1954, she married Paul Sanderson (deceased) and eventually settled on Hugh St. in Westland ,where she lived out the remainder of her days.
After a decade at home, focusing on her family, Shirley went back to the work-world. She blazed a trail as a role model working mother, ultimately retiring from the Federal Government as a Contracting Specialist.
Mom’s greatest attributes were her kindness and patience. She enjoyed helping others and made sacrifices for others throughout her life. She cared for family members when they were ill, encouraged her children into adulthood and helped people financially when they hit a rough spot.
A quiet person, mom was never the life of the party, but was the ever-strong presence behind the scene. She approached everything with her enviable organization skills, taking notes in shorthand, doing all the math in her head and making it all look easy. She loved, in no particular order, Pizza, Neil Diamond, Reading, Chocolate, Resale Shops, Trips To Arizona, A Good Movie, Music, Coffee, seeing her children happy and keeping her granddaughter in a continuous stream of gift cards and toys.
While we would ask you to honor our mother in your own way, she would want you to do an unexpected and unsolicited act of kindness for somebody you care for, or maybe plant flowers or a tree that will live on. The Humane Society was often her charity of choice for donations.
Respecting mom’s wishes, we will not hold a formal service, however, when the time is right, we will hold a celebration of mom’s life. Funeral arrangements and cremation are entrusted to Schrader-Howell Funeral Home in Plymouth, Michigan. You are invited to share memories and/or leave condolences on Shirley’s guestbook.