Elizabeth Sanders, 61, of Sweet Home died at home of colon cancer March 1, 2010.

She was born June 1, 1948 in Frederick, Md., the daughter of Elmer L. and Martha L. Blair.

She spent most of her life in Linn County near Sweet Home. She attended Hawthorne and Holley Elementary Schools and Sweet Home High School, but got her diploma from Arroyo High School in El Monte, Calif.

During her youth her favorite activity was playing with the calves and goats at the small farm on the Upper Calapooia near Holley. As an adult she enjoyed spending time with her family, especially her three granddaughters.

She also enjoyed day trips to the coast with her sister and mother to feed the sea gulls and whale watch. In later years these trips might include visits to the casino, where she enjoyed playing the penny machines.

She was married to George Sanders from 1967 to 1986, staying home and being a wife and mother. Later she worked as a housekeeper at Nendels in Corvallis and then discovered that she was good using a soldering iron and assembling circuit boards at RFC at Corvallis and White’s Electronics at Sweet Home.

She battled breast cancer twice in her life before she had colon cancer. She was baptized by Pastor Dick Hill of Hillside Fellowship Church in February of 2009.

She is survived by her daughter Wendie and son-in-law Steven Clark of Sweet Home; five grandchildren; sister Peggy Blair of Sweet Home; birth father Willard (Bill) and Eva Holt of Lebanon; half-sister Nancy and Clyde Offutt of Lebanon; and half-brother Willard (Bill) Jr. and Sherry Holt of Sandy. She also leaves behind three beloved cats, Jasmine, Smiley, and Princess.

She was preceded in death by her father, Elmer Blair; mother Martha Blair; and her daughter, Tania Sanders Ames.

A private graveside service was held March 3 at Crawfordsville Union Cemetery, where she was buried near her parents. A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, March 13, at Hillside Fellowship Church.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Fisher Funeral Home to help the family with funeral expenses.