Roger James Sanders passed peacefully September 15, 2026, the day before his 73rd birthday from pneumonia and organ failure.

He was born on September 16, 1953, in Salt Lake City, Utah to James and Julia Sanders. He grew up with two older sisters and three younger brothers. He started working at a young age selling Spudnuts door-to-door. He missed the kindergarten deadline and was so angry he had to wait a whole year to go to school with his friends. Once he started, he was able to skip kindergarten and catch up with the rest of the kids in his neighborhood. He was fortunate to meet his lifelong best friend Paul Olsen as a child.

He played football at Skyline High School and was a cheerleader at Dixie College. He could do back handsprings the length of the football field. He loved to sing and was Adam in The Apple Tree at Dixie. He also enjoyed participating in Program Bureau with his many friends.

He received a mission call to the Arizona Tempe mission and even served in St. George. He was given special permission to attend graduation while serving as a missionary. His time in the desert started his lifelong love of southern Utah. His mission president was Oscar McConkie, who inspired him to become an attorney.

He and his future wife both attended Evergreen Junior High and Dixie. But they didn’t meet until he returned home from his mission after being set up as pen pals by their siblings. He married Julie Jensen on September 19, 1975, in the Salt Lake Temple.

He graduated from the University of Utah in psychology and finished law school there while working full-time. He worked for Kirton McConkie as a lawyer and was a senior vice president at American Savings before focusing on water rights law.

He adored sports. He loved the Utah Jazz, especially during the Karl Malone and John Stockton years. He loved University of Utah football, and you could hear him throughout the house when he was watching a game. He loved playing and watching golf.

He had a passion for traveling. He liked planning the trips and taking his family to places like Hawaii, Europe, and Disney World.

He was an early adopter of technology. He had cell phones, digital cameras, and an email address in the 1990s.

He spent years as a fun and kind dad balancing challenging work and church demands. Julie had cancer for five years and he was her primary caregiver and support until she passed away in 1998. Even though we will miss him, we are so happy to know that they are together again.

Roger is survived by his children Lisa (Paul) Thompson, Nicole (Ryan) Delany, and Adam (Kasey) Sanders. He has six wonderful grandchildren: Ethan and Kate Delany and Addie, Ella, Crew, and Grey Sanders. He is also survived by his sisters Judy Sanders and Jolene (Kent) Anderson and his brothers Ron (Julene) Sanders and Roland (Gail) Sanders. He has many loved nieces and nephews. His wife, his parents, and his brothers Randy (baby) and Rory precede him in death.