Sanders, Vernon
SANDERS, Dr. Vernon
Dr. Vernon Sanders died on October 12, 2023 at the age of 91. The only child of Clyde and Estelle Sanders, he grew up in Monroe, Louisiana and attended Centenary College. A fine student and athlete, he declined an offer from the St. Louis Browns (now Baltimore Orioles) to attend the Duke University School of Medicine. After graduation from Duke, he completed a residency in internal medicine at Georgetown University and a research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. His research on heart disease was widely published, including in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Vernon moved to Atlanta in 1963 and practiced medicine at Sandy Springs Internal Medicine for 37 years. He was instrumental in the founding of Northside Hospital, where he served as medical chief of staff and as a longtime member of the Hospital Authority.
In retirement, he remained a keen student of the sport of baseball, a member of the board of trustees of Centenary, and a prolific writer, penning several novels and two volumes of poetry. He was a longtime member of Peachtree Road United Methodist Church, and later Northbrook United Methodist Church, and in retirement completed many hundreds of visits to church members in local hospitals and nursing homes as part of the church's visitation ministry. He was a member of the Cherokee Town and Country Club for many years, and an avid tennis player, and later golfer, throughout most of his life.
He is survived by three children, Marshall Sanders, Kenneth Sanders, and Ann Gadbois; five grandchildren, Natalie Sanders M.D., Jack Sanders, Connor Sanders, Alex Gadbois, and Ryan Gadbois.
Vernon had a long and productive life, and positively impacted the lives of thousands of patients and others. He will be missed.
A private service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be directed to the Clyde and Estelle Scholarship Endowment Fund at Centenary College.
