Mark Sanders

Mark Sanders, PhD – beloved father, husband, professor emeritus, and friend – died on December 26, 2025, at age 72. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Gail McMillan; daughters Nicole Sanders Tarr and Rachel Sanders and their husbands Josh Tarr and Ryan Baker; sister Alison Sanders Limoges and her family; sister-in-law Kathy McMillan; and four grandchildren.

Mark was born on August 29, 1953, in Buffalo, NY to Evelyn and Joseph Sanders and grew up in Delmar, NY alongside siblings Alison and Paul. Evelyn nurtured her children's love of music and art. Mark had fond memories of family trips to visit grandparents in Florida and New York City. The silver lining of a mid-high school move to Pensacola was living on a golf course. Mark became an avid golfer.

Over a decade spent studying and exploring, Mark earned a BS from SUNY Oswego, MS in industrial technology from Illinois State University, and PhD in industrial education from University of Maryland (1980), where he met Gail.

In 1980, Mark joined Virginia Tech as an assistant professor of technology education and began a distinguished three-decade career. From the start, he was at the forefront of the digital transformation of graphic communications. In the 1990s and 2000s, he led the evolution of industrial arts education to technology education and later to integrative STEM education. He became nationally and internationally recognized as a visionary scholar and educator who identified pivotal opportunities for his field to evolve. Mark created a resource-sharing graphic communications website in the early days of the internet, pushed for the Journal of Technology Education he co-founded to be published online, co-directed the first 'technology, science, and math integration' project funded by the National Science Foundation, and helped develop Virginia Tech's integrative STEM graduate program. He was a generous mentor and sponsor to his students and applauded the work of his colleagues. By the time he retired and was conferred professor emeritus in 2010, Mark had received 18 national and state awards. In 2012, he was inducted into the International Technology and Engineering Education Association's Academy of Fellows, his field's highest honor.

At home in Blacksburg, Mark was a supportive and dedicated father, husband, brother, and friend. He rarely missed a game or practice and happily structured his life around simple routines: early tee times, family dinners, watching sports, talking with old friends over a beer. He was a maker at heart, a skilled woodworker who built beautiful things for those he loved. His care manifested in his homecooked meals and steady presence. Mark and Gail opened their home to students, colleagues, and friends from around the world for dinner and conversation. He lived simply, frugally, and proudly, often with a mischievous smile about unfashionable accessories that embarrassed his daughters but amused everyone else.

In the final years of his life, as dementia steadily took away his ability to golf, walk, see, and communicate, the utmost pleasure he took in quality time with family and friends became even clearer. In 2023, Mark became a resident of Kroontje Health Care Center in Warm Hearth Village. His compassionate caregivers loved him for his politeness and quick wit. He was visited daily by his wife Gail, weekly by his longtime friend Gary Downey, and often by family.

Mark's life was a testament to authenticity, creativity, and the belief that time, care, and attention are the most valuable things we have to give. He will be profoundly missed and lovingly remembered. In keeping with his lifelong commitment to education and service, Mark's family has donated his brain to research led by the Virginia Alzheimer's Disease Center. In the same spirit, in lieu of gifts or flowers, they invite others to honor Mark with donations to the VADC or Remote Area Medical (Virginia).