Collin Douglas Sanders

Collin Douglas Sanders, tennis and trombone player, music lover, self-proclaimed ping pong extraordinaire, proud cat owner, and loved by all who knew him, passed away from this life on February 23, 2023. He will always be remembered for his kind heart and empathetic, compassionate soul. Collin was born to Doug and Janet Sanders in Bartlesville, OK, on July 26, 1996. He graduated from Bartlesville High School in 2014 and attended Oklahoma State University, graduating in 2018 with his Bachelor of Science in Psychology. In 2017 he spent seven months serving in Southeastern Europe at The Church of Christ in Durres, Albania. Collin was passionate about his work there and was very much loved by the people of Albania. Collin was a brilliant student and very much a deep thinker. He was an honor student in high school and was on the OSU Dean’s List in college. In addition to excelling in academics, he played high school tennis. He played in the Oklahoma State Tennis Tournament, placing seventh his senior year. He also played in the BHS band and was elected to the National Honor Band each year of high school plus made the Oklahoma All-State Band his junior and senior year earning First Chair All-State. Collin’s love for band began in early middle school when he took up the trombone, later earning a band scholarship to OSU to join the Cowboy marching band, OSU concert band, and trombone choir. Collin’s love of the arts included playing and listening to all genres of music. He had a strong appreciation for the arts and loved collecting unique pieces. Collin excelled at almost any sport that requires a paddle, disc, or controller. He especially enjoyed spending time outside playing disc golf with friends and his cousin Clayton. He loved caring for his two cats, Asher and Yoshi. Collin loved his mom, dad and sister dearly and spent much of his free time with family. While he was often a man of few words, he was incredibly witty and had a natural ability to make others laugh and feel cared about. To him, leaving the world a better place was essential - he wanted to make a difference. Collin was preceded in death by his maternal grandfather, Ralph Jackson. He is survived by his parents, Doug and Janet Sanders, sister Bekah Sanders and her fiancé Michael Hernandez, grandparents Margaret Jackson, Jolene Sartin, J.D. and Faith Sanders; aunts, uncles, and cousins Jerrol and Diana Sanders (Clayton, Hailey, and Kale), Weston Sanders (Jay and Kylee), Jenny Sanders, and Lee and Lisa Bell (Benjamin, Andrea, and Lauren), and many other family and friends who loved him deeply. A memorial service will be held at 10:00 AM on Wednesday, March 1, 2023, at Adams Blvd. Church of Christ in Bartlesville. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to two charities close to the hearts of the Sanders family: Albanian Missions, which supports the country Collin loved. http://adamsblvd.org/give/ ActiveMinds.org, is a nonprofit that supports mental health awareness and education for young adults. One of the mission’s core values is to be “radically authentic,” which is the perfect embodiment of Collin.

Collin Douglas Sanders

July 26, 1996 - February 23, 2023