Will Saunders

The Reverend Dr. Will Saunders, parish
minister and college instructor, died on 26 June 2018 at the age of 73 after living with cancer for several years. He is remembered for his sparkling wit and wide-ranging scholarship.

Will spent much of his retirement traveling the world, enjoying art, theater, music, hiking, canoeing, and bicycling. Not one to withdraw from living or ministry as his cancer became more serious, Will wrote a series of extraordinarily candid “health updates,” detailing the course of his disease and treatments as well as his and his spouse Julie’s playful efforts to “Keep Cancer Fun.”

William Clinton Saunders was born on 18 March 1945 in Morristown (NJ) to Byron Winthrop and Miriam (Wise) Saunders and grew up as a Unitarian in Ithaca, New York. He was graduated from Oberlin College (OH) in 1967 with an A.B. in religion and earned his B.D. from Union Theological Seminary (NY) in 1970. During graduate work, Will was a student minister at Manhattan’s Community Church (1968-71) and then a lecturer in religious studies at Hunter

College (1974-75). In 1978 he completed work for a Ph.D. in American religious thought at Columbia University (NY). Ordained in 1972 by his childhood church, the Rev’d Mr. Saunders served called ministries at UU churches in

Brunswick, Maine (1976-85) and in Urbana, Illinois (1985-95). After interim ministries in Harvard and Haverhill (MA), he was called as co-minister with then spouse Marta Flanagan to South Church, Portsmouth (NH) in 1997, and they were named emeritus/a on early retirement in 2005.

Will is survived by his second spouse, Julie Draper Saunders, sons Brynn and Peter, Julie’s sons Nicholas and Zachary Draper, sisters Martha Nabatian and Carolyn Munger, three grandchildren, and several nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was conducted by the Rev’d Dan Hotchkiss on 2 July 2018. Memorial gifts are encouraged to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England: www.ppnne.org/annualfund.