Arnold Joseph Sanderson

Arnold Joseph Sanderson, 98, died peacefully on November 21, 2025, at his home in Fort Wayne, Indiana.

Sanderson was born in Flint, Michigan on October 3, 1927. He was the eldest of Ethel and Walter Sanderson’s five children. He graduated from Ypsilanti High School in 1944 and attended the U.S. Army’s officer training program at the University of Illinois for one year before World War II ended. He was sent to Japan as an enlisted member of the occupation forces. There he met Satako (Sally) Ishimaru, a Japanese American living in Japan and working for the U.S. Army. They married in 1951 and returned to the United States.

Sanderson attended Central Michigan University and graduated in 1956 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration. He moved with his wife and three young daughters to Midland Michigan, where he began a 30 year career with the Dow Chemical Company. He eventually became the financial vice president for Dow Korea. In 1985, he retired and spent several years in Sanford Michigan, where he served on the village council and enjoyed entertaining family and friends at their lake home.

He is preceded in death by his wife Satako, brother Otto (Mary Lou), sister Treva Timour († Sune), and brother Harold (Jan). His brother Leon passed recently on December 8, 2025 († Lucy).

Sanderson is survived by his three daughters: Shirley Sanderson (Dipak Sarkar) of Skillman, NJ: Arlene Sanderson (Bryce Palchick) of Pittsburgh, PA, and Betty Nobis (Dale) of Fort Wayne, IN. He has five granddaughters: Emily Shilts (Brian) of Fort Wayne, Miki Palchick and Andra Palchick of Philadelphia, PA, Abby Sarkar (Huy Nguyen) of Menlo Park, CA, and Sophie Sarkar of Oakland, CA, as well as one great granddaughter, Sal.

A future memorial is planned with internment for both Arnold and Satako (Sally) at the Great Lakes National Cemetery in Holly, Michigan during the summer of 2026. Please email Betty Nobis at bdnobis@gmail.com if you would like to be notified of the memorial service details. Donations may be made to the Allen County Public Library, Fort Wayne, Indiana, or the American Cancer Society.