Burnice Hazel Sanderson

June 12, 1922 - November 18, 2019

Jesus has called our beloved Burnie home. On Monday, November 18, 2019, Burnice Hazel Sanderson, of Edmond, Oklahoma, died at home with her family. Burnie is now at home in Heaven with God, a heavenly host of angels and many, many loved ones. A service celebrating the life of Burnice will be at 1:30pm on Monday, December 2nd at Faith Bible Church in Edmond. She was born June 12, 1922, to her parents Joe and Gretta Merriman, her sister Audrey and brother Ed. Her younger brother, Robert, was born two years after Burnie. She grew up on the family farm located northwest of Perry near Polo, Oklahoma, where they endured the years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl days. Burnie was preceded in death by her parents; her husband, Arthur Sanderson; her daughter, Paula Harris, her sister, Audrey Carter; and her brothers, Edwin Merriman and Robert Merriman. Burnie is survived by her son, Jim (wife Sue) of McKinney, Texas; and two daughters, Vicki (husband Brad) Myers of McKinney, Texas, and Connie (husband Jerry) Goodson of Edmond, Oklahoma. She was blessed with 10 grandchildren who called her by many names -- Grandma, Grandma Burnie, Grandma Red and even one who called her Munger! Her ten grandchildren are Tom Stanley, Chris Sanderson, Shonn Stanley, Jeremy Morrison, Matthew Sanderson, Autem Harris Smith, Andrea Harris Cummins, Chad Myers, Jacob Goodson, and Rebecca Harris. From these grandchildren she was blessed with 21 great-grandchildren. Burnie lived a full life in her 97 years. She loved being a mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother and was happy to always be introduced to children as Grandma Burnie. She loved her Savior, Jesus. She loved her family. She loved her friends and she loved her church family. Something most people don't know about her is that she loved sports. Burnie fell in love with sports when she spent time watching her son, Jim, as he played baseball through his school years. She was always in charge of the concession stands, kept score for the games and, needless to say, was at every game. In her later years, if there was a game on TV, she was watching it. Her favorite professional baseball team was the St. Louis Cardinals or any team Albert Pujols was playing for! She loved college sports and mostly watched Oklahoma State University football and University of Kansas basketball. Because of family "pressure" she also watched Ohio State University, Purdue and University of Virginia. She just loved college sports! She enjoyed life in many ways, but most important to her was living her life for Christ. While she served in many ministries, she was most passionate about sharing Christ with her children and grandchildren. God called Burnie to serve Him in many different ways. She taught Sunday School for 30 years, including college age and young married classes, volunteered in the youth programs, held home Bible studies for young mothers, sang in the Senior Adult Choir, served in the Tape/CD ministry and, most of all she was a prayer warrior for her family. Burnie did all of this and also worked fulltime in a local insurance office. At the age of 70, she helped establish a ministry in Midwest City called Masters' Market. She devoted her life to this ministry until she was 75, when she could no longer keep up the pace. She sold her home in Midwest City and moved to Edmond to be closer to Connie. After the move Burnie joined Henderson Hills Baptist Church and immediately became involved in different ministries. She spent most of her time in the CD/Tape ministry and was passionate about her work. It's quite possible she new everyone in that church, as Burnie never knew a stranger. She was giving, kind and wonderful to all who stopped by the CD/Tape ministry desk. When she was 93, Burnie moved her membership to Faith Bible Church. Connie had accepted a ministry position there, so it was best for the family to attend the same church. When she was no longer able to go out on her own because of her health, she contributed to the Operation Christmas Child Shoebox ministry and generously gave to her church, the Billy Graham ministry, the Salvation Army, the Veterans and Wounded Warriors. What I hope we remember the most about her remarkable life is this: Burnie understood that God placed her here for His purpose; and so she invested in others for the cause of Christ most of her adult years. She didn't quit sharing the love of Jesus Christ until her physical body quit. She was a faithful servant to God. THE LIFE STORY OF BURNICE HAZEL SANDERSON The Early Years Burnie grew up on the family farm located northwest of Perry near Polo, Oklahoma, where they endured the years of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl days. The children all worked whether it was canning food, working in the fields with their Dad or helping their Mother cook in the kitchen. Burnie says her first job was washing dishes at the age of 3. The children all attended a small country school. School was only 8 months long, as all kids had to be back on the farm to work during harvest. Burnie attended high school in Billings, OK. In her Sophomore year she was elected Football Queen, which was a significant honor. In the homecoming parade she and her attendants all rode on a special float. She talked about it through the years with much excitement. Move to the Big City At the age of 16 her family moved off the farm and rented a house in Oklahoma City. Her Dad could not find work, so, the family all began looking for work so they could pay the rent and utilities. Burnie was able to wash dishes for families and was paid 10 cents each visit. She also babysat and made 50 cents each time. Once she graduated from Classen High School, she found a job making $13 a week. Also important to the family was finding a place of worship. It was at University Place Church where mom began playing the piano during the services. She had learned the piano chords as a young child and began using her talent for Jesus. World War II and Wedding Bells During the war, Burnie took a job at St. Anthony Hospital. She worked as a Nurses Aid helping patients who were hospitalized. In February of 1943, during World War II, she joined the YWCA and became a member of a club supporting soldiers. The club decided to host a party for soldiers based at Will Rogers Air Force Base, It was at the dance that she met a handsome military man -- Air Force Sergeant Arthur "Sandy" Sanderson and they fell in love. They began dating, but in June he was transferred to a base in St. Charles, Louisiana. Before he left for St. Charles he proposed to her and she said YES! Sandy was able to secure a furlough the first part of July and he hitchhiked his way back to Oklahoma. They were married on July 4, 1943, and they chose this date in honor of the men who were fighting for our freedom. The Beginning of a Wonderful Family Once Sandy returned, they moved to his home state of Wisconsin. It was then that they began having a family. Son Jimmy was born August 24, 1946 and Paula Jean was born February 20, 1949. So the family could have more income, Sandy joined the Reserves after being told he would not be called into the Korean War. It was a very sad day in mid 1950, when he received orders to go to Korea. Burnie moved her family back to Oklahoma so she could be near her parents. In May of 1951, Sandy was contacted by the Red Cross letting him know that he was now the proud father of three children -- Vicki Jo was born on May 26, 1951. A New Beginning In 1951, Sandy and Burnie moved to Midwest City. Sandy got a job at Tinker Air Force Base and she was a stay-at-home mom for many years. On December 17, 1953 their fourth child, Connie Lou, was born. Six months later, the family faced a difficult challenge when Connie was diagnosed with Polio. The family was quarantined for several weeks before the kids could play with others or leave the yard. During this time of illness was when her brother, Bob Merriman, invited the family to visit Country Estates Baptist Church. She felt drawn to the church because the pastor, Harold McGlamery, and Jean Arnold, a church member, prayed fervently for Connie and the family. Burnie and her children all received Christ as their Savior and were baptized in 1961. This was the beginning of a lifetime of service to Jesus. As the children got more involved, Burnie began serving in different ministries through the years. Her first role was teaching Sunday School which continued for 30 years. She volunteered in the youth programs, taught college age and young married Sunday School classes, held home Bible studies for young moms, sang in the Senior Adult Choir, served in the Tape/CD ministry and, most of all was a prayer warrior for our family. At the age of 70, she helped establish a ministry in Midwest City called Masters' Market. She devoted her life to this ministry until she was 75, then moved to Edmond and began serving in the ministries of Henderson Hills Baptist Church. Burnie did all of this and also worked fulltime in a local insurance office. Life Changes Burnie became a widow in 1989, when Sandy passed away. She had retired from her career in the insurance industry and her ministry became a full-time job. At age 75, she could no longer keep up the pace. She sold her home in Midwest City and moved to Edmond to be near Connie and Jerry. She originally bought a house in the same neighborhood, but when she turned 80, Connie, Jerry and Burnie decided to buy a home where they all could live together. And this is where mom lived until she went to Heaven. Upon moving to Edmond, Burnie joined Henderson Hills Baptist Church and immediately became involved in different ministries. She spent most of her time in the CD/Tape ministry and was passionate about her work. It's quite possible she new everyone in that church, as Burnie never knew a stranger. She was giving, kind and wonderful to all who stopped by the CD/Tape ministry desk. In 2015 Burnie moved her membership to Faith Bible Church in Edmond. Connie had accepted a ministry position there, so it was better for the family to go to the same church. When she was no longer able to go out on her own because of her health, she contributed to the Shoebox ministry, and Connie and Jerry kept lots of shoeboxes in their garage until they could be delivered. On the Road to Heaven In Burnie's final years she did her ministry through prayer, writing cards, mailing books about God to her grandchildren, and always praying for others. No one prayed for her children like she did. In her last years she was regularly sitting on the back porch reading her Bible and praying over her list of names. When it became too hard to read, she received an Amazon "Alexa" with a Bible App that would read the Bible to her every day. Her favorite passage to listen to over and over and over was Romans Chapter 8. She was generous with her resources by giving to her church, the Billy Graham ministry, the Salvation Army, the Veterans and Wounded Warriors. She loved being a mother, a grandmother and great-grandmother and was happy to always be introduced to children as Grandma Burnie. She liked young people way more than older people and she never complained about music changes in the church. She loved furiously. She loved her Savior, Jesus. She loved her family. She loved her friends and she loved her church family. Burnie's Legacy Burnie understood that God placed her here for His purpose; and so she invested in others for the cause of Christ most of her adult years. She didn't quit sharing the love of Jesus Christ until her physical body quit. She was a faithful servant to God. She was blessed with 30 grandchildren and great-grandchildren who called her by many names -- Grandma, Grandma Burnie, Grandma Red and even one who called her Munger! Her 10 grandchildren are Tom Stanley, Chris Sanderson, Shonn Stanley, Jeremy Morrison, Matthew Sanderson, Autem Harris Smith, Andrea Harris Cummins, Chad Myers, Jacob Goodson, and Rebecca Harris. Her 21 great-grandchildren are Tyler Sanderson, Trystan Sanderson, Jasper Sanderson, Nashton Sanderson, Avery Sanderson, Jax Sanderson, Kael Sanderson, Molly Sanderson, Copelyn Morrison, Gavin Cummins, Harrison Smith, Cooper Harris, Olivia Jean Harris, Marley Jean Harris, TJ Stanley, Scout Stanley, Madison Myers, Manning Myers, Matthew Myers, Sophia Goodson and Sera Goodson. Her eternal life is only beginning…