Susan Sanders

Susan Kay Sanders, 78, a loving wife, mother, and devoted friend to many, passed away on May 14, 2026, of a stroke.

Susan was born on October 9, 1947, in Danville, Illinois, the only child of John and Aleta Diffenderfer. She earned two scholarships to study drama at Illinois Wesleyan University before later finding her calling in public service. She went on to earn her Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of South Carolina in 1981.

While working in juvenile corrections in Columbia, South Carolina, Susan met the love of her life, Frank Sanders. Forever smitten, the pair married on May 29, 1982. Frank was drawn to travel, and Susan was drawn to Frank. Over their 43 years of marriage, they built a full and beautiful life together in the Virgin Islands, Arizona, Mexico, Australia, and Charleston, South Carolina. Of all the milestones in her life, the happiest day was being reunited with her son, Steven, whom she had been forced to give up for adoption two decades earlier.

Susan dedicated her professional career to public service. She began as a case manager for the South Carolina circuit courts and rose to become the Director of the Forensic Unit at the South Carolina Department of Mental Health. After moving to Arizona, she served as a program manager for behavioral health before becoming the Executive Director of Seeds of Hope, a faith-based non-profit providing food security, clothing, and vital social services to those in need. Her final formal role was as an assistant clerk for the Federal Judicial System in Charleston.

Following her retirement, Susan transitioned her energy into supporting Frank’s ministry as a deacon at the Church of the Holy Cross on Sullivan’s Island and Daniel Island, outside Charleston. She assisted in pastoral care, co-led small groups for aging parishioners, served as a devoted member of the daughters of the King, and led the altar guild.

Five years ago, shortly after moving to Arkansas to be closer to Steven, Susan was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. She faced her health challenges with the same grace and faith that defined her entire life.

In addition to being remembered as a loving wife, mother, grandmother, and servant to the Lord, she will also be remembered for her famous coffee cake, her deep love of any kind of dessert, and being a notoriously terrible scorekeeper for family "Oh Shoot" games.

Susan will be sorely missed by her husband, Frank, and her beloved children and their families: her son, Steven Probst, and his wife, Andi Jones, and their sons, Wyatt and Lincoln, of Fayetteville, Arkansas; her stepson, Buck Sanders, and his wife, Dominique, and daughter, Roux, of Malibu, California; and her stepdaughter, Stacie Evans, and her husband, Ben, and their children, Virginia and Henry, of Baltimore, Maryland.

Services will be held on May 31st at 2 p.m. We will be utilizing the 7th Day Adventist Church: 4001 West Don Tyson Parkway, Springdale, Arkansas, 72762. 

Arrangements have been entrusted to Midwest Cremation and Funeral Services of Springfield, MO.