Virginia Earthman Sanders, a long-time resident of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was peacefully called to our Lord on Saturday April 24, 2021. She was born on January 23, 1929 in Rutherford County to the late Harold H. Earthman and Mary Moore Earthman. A graduate of Vanderbilt University and former “Miss Vanderbilt”, she married U.S. Army 1st Lieutenant Robert Cannon Sanders and had four children to whom she dedicated her life. She served as a military wife living in numerous cities in the United States and abroad while raising her children.
Virginia was a devoted mother and homemaker who lived a quiet life in service to others. She volunteered at the Nashville Rescue Mission on weekends and with the Pregnancy Crisis Hotline. She was a volunteer at Horton Haven Christian Camp and served as First Lady, the first women member of the Board of Directors. Virginia was financially generous to those in need, supported multiple Christian organizations and adopted overseas children. Known for her unrelenting hospitality, she freely opened her home to many including Campus Crusade for Christ students.
Virginia worked briefly but notably at the Rutherford County Guidance Center as a bookkeeper. She expended as much love and attention to her work there as to other aspects of her life. After work hours she spent time assisting a married couple with Multiple Sclerosis and continued this service for years. Virginia was devoted to her faith and was an active member of New Heights Chapel in Murfreesboro. Her quiet strength and playful humor are fondly remembered by family and friends.
She is preceded in death by a brother, Harold H. Earthman, Jr. and is survived by her sister Mary Earthman Weatherford and brother, Benjamin Moore Earthman.
Her life will be forever cherished in the lives of her children: Alice Mcleod (Jon L.) Brunner, Mary Moore (Larry) Vaughan, Robert Cannon (Jennifer Underwood) Sanders, Jr., and John Earthman (Boualian) Sanders. She was adored by three grandchildren: Jason VanBlaricum (Aya Kudo), Olivia Katharine (Keith W.) Lockhart, and Stuart Earthman Sanders, as well as five great-grandchildren, Emary Claire Sanders, Ethan Phet Sanders, Avary Grace Lockhart, Ellie Katharine Lockhart, and Kanoa VanBlaricium Kudo. Her extended family included many beloved nieces and nephews.
Family and friends will always be thankful for the gift that was her life. “… always graceful until the Lord called her home.”
A celebration of Virginia’s life will be held at New Heights Chapel, 2650 St. Andrews Drive, Murfreesboro on Friday April 30, 2021. Visitation will be held at the chapel from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. with services to begin at 1:00 p.m. A public burial will follow in Evergreen Cemetery.
In keeping with her generous and caring heart, the family respectfully requests that in lieu of flowers, Virginia’s life be memorialized through donations to Mindful Care Adult Day Services. Please contact Cynthia Thomas, Managing Director at 615-542-4371 or visit www. mindful-care.org to donate online. Donations may also be made to New Heights Chapel. The family extends their deepest appreciation.
