Donald Frederick Saunders' Obituary
Donald Frederick Saunders, 88, passed away on February 26th, 2013 at his home in Dallas, Texas. He was born on November 9, 1924 in Utica, New York to Philip Augustus and Zena Mabel Fitch Saunders. Don grew up in Brookfield, New York. He attended St. Lawrence University in Canton, New York, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in Chemistry. Don then attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison, where he received his PhD in Chemistry in 1951. He continued with post-doctoral work under Dr. Farrington Daniels. Don began work for Texas Instruments (TI) in 1953 as a geo-chemist. He worked for TI for 30 years. While with TI, Don worked on the use of remote sensing technology in petroleum exploration, traveling worldwide doing fieldwork. He also worked on a number of government projects related to the detection of atomic testing. He published dozens of papers in journals such as Oil and Gas Journal and Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists. After retiring from TI, Don helped form Petrominex in 1984 to do further work on unconventional methods for petroleum exploration. He later continued this work with Recon Exploration. He retired for the third time in 1994. Don married Winifred Miller on September 30, 1950, in Monrovia California. They were happily married for 62 years. Don enjoyed photography, fishing, and gardening his entire life. Don is survived by his spouse Winifred, his sons and daughters-in-law Richard and Nancy Saunders of Cheshire CT, David and Joanne Saunders of Lufkin TX, and Paul and Cindy Saunders of Arlington, TX, and numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and other relatives. A memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM March 9th, 2013 at the Wildwood Chapel Restland Funeral Home, 13005 Greenville Ave Dallas, TX 75243. The family will be greeting friends and relatives at the Restland Funeral Home main building reception rooms L and M after the service. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to North Dallas Shared Ministries, 2875 Merrell Road, Dallas, TX 75229 [www.ndsm.org].
What’s your fondest memory of Donald?
What’s a lesson you learned from Donald?
Share a story where Donald's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Donald you’ll never forget.
How did Donald make you smile?