Arven H. Saunders III

Arven H. Saunders III
Arven H. Saunders III, passed away peacefully at his home, surrounded by his loving family, on November 10, 2025, after a hard-fought and courageous battle with cancer. Arven is survived and will be greatly missed by his devoted wife, Theodora Saunders (née Spanostathi), of 46 years, and his loving children, Louise Saunders Weinstein (husband Ross Weinstein) and Arven Saunders IV (husband Edoardo Carta). Arven will always be remembered as a loving Papou by his two grandchildren, Ethan and Ari Weinstein. Ethan's love for trains was born from his treasured times spent with his Papou. Arven is also survived by his siblings and their families, including his twin sister, Gail Saunders, and his brothers, Kent Saunders (wife, Julie) and Bryant Saunders (wife, Eva). He is also survived by his brother-in-law, Kostas Voulgaris, and other family members in Greece. Arven was predeceased by his father, Arven Saunders II, his mother, Louise Saunders, and by his in-laws, Evaggelos and Vasiliki Spanostathi and sister-in-law, Yianna Voulgari from Lamia, Greece. Arven, a true "renaissance man" from a young age, developed early loves for tinkering with machines of all varieties, music, and bicycling. Whether it was fixing a car, a radio, or in his later days, a computer, Arven is said to have talked in fourth grade about how cars would one day run on "sun power". After graduating from high school in McLean, Virginia and serving in the Army in Vietnam, Arven went on to study Mathematics in college and eventually earned both Master's and Doctorate degrees in Industrial Engineering. After a long career in aerospace engineering, and not one to sit around for too long, in retirement, Arven returned to a prior love and began teaching graduate courses in statistics and advanced manufacturing and materials as an Adjunct Professor at University of New Haven. His patience and passion for learning were such invaluable assets to the academic community, and Arven loved sharing his knowledge with others in helping to develop and shape their futures. Arven loved good conversation with anyone and everyone because he truly found beauty, substance, and intrigue in getting to know people by discussing important topics and sharing viewpoints. He was also a great listener because he genuinely cared about what others had to say. In addition to being an avid reader (mostly of technical materials), Arven loved to spend time with his family, listening to music around the fire, or watching a favorite movie like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "Groundhog Day". Arven's fondest memories are those with his wife of 46 years, Theodora, and their children and grandchildren, as well as trips to Greece, Angel Fire, California, Hawaii, England, and Scotland. For over the past twenty-five years, Arven and Theodora proudly called the Hamden/New Haven area home and delighted in sharing their favorite spots in New Haven with friends and family. Arven and Theodora cherished nights out in New Haven for performances at the Yale Repertory Theatre or concerts at Woolsey Hall. In addition, Arven took great pleasure in drives with family and friends around New Haven to look at the latest construction projects or to head to a favorite coffee shop or the New Haven Public Library. Arven was a hard-working, humble, and open-minded soul who had a love for life that he shared openly with those around him. He loved nature and walks around his neighborhood. Throughout the last few years battling illness, Arven could be seen taking daily walks "around the circle" and in prior years was known to have loved his walks at East Rock Park. To know Arven was to love him, and we are all better to have known and loved him. He had an incredible capacity for unconditional love and always made time to help others, even in his final moments. There are no words that can express how grateful we are for the Yale Smilow Cancer Hospital, including the oncology team led by Dr. Michael Hurwitz and the Yale Palliative and Hospice care teams, for their excellent and compassionate care throughout Arven's health journey. Funeral services are private and a celebration of his life with friends and family will be announced at a later date.