Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

September 26, 2025

CHARLOTTE – Mary Auman Sanders, age 90, of Charlotte, NC, passed away on Friday, September 26, 2025.  Born on April 28, 1935, in High Point, NC, Mary was the daughter of the late Jason Reid and Mary Woolen Auman.  She was predeceased by a week by her husband of 69 years, Donald Clayton Sanders. Mary was devoted to her family, friends, and community. 

Mary graduated from Lowes Grove High School in Durham, NC, and received her bachelor’s degree from Duke University in 1956.  Later, while raising her four children, she earned her master’s degree in education from UNC-Charlotte. She married Don in 1956.  They moved to Charlotte in 1960 for Don’s work and remained for the next 65 years.

Mary and Don began their family in 1958 and had four children.  She served as homemaker and then as the central hub for her growing extended family.  Organizer and hostess of annual holiday gatherings and summer weeks at the beach or in their mountain cabin, she worked selflessly in the background making sure everyone felt comfortable and cared for.  She was a magnificent cook and known for the world’s best carrot cake.  She was happiest when surrounded by a houseful of family and friends. Her children feel they won the mom lottery.

In addition to her primary focus on her family, Mary was a reading specialist in an elementary school and wrote reading tutorials for adults.  She volunteered with numerous ministries through her 65-year membership at Dilworth United Methodist Church.  After retirement with Don in 1994, she volunteered for years as the head voting precinct judge in Dilworth.  She served as the Crisis Assistance coordinator at Dilworth UMC and later at Aldersgate Retirement Community. She volunteered with Our Bridge for Kids, teaching reading to children. 

Commitment, dedication, and faithfulness characterized all of her work.  She served as a volunteer coordinator at Aldersgate and worked with Alzheimer’s Disease support groups.  Her devoted caretaking of her husband Don, who had Alzheimer’s, was the focus of her last years. When Mary needed physical therapy in her last couple of months, the PT asked for her goals. Her answer was, “to be able to care for my husband.”

Mary began making baskets in her 80s, quickly developing artistic skill in the craft, creating hundreds of beautiful baskets and sharing them generously.  She sewed throughout her life and taught many of her granddaughters to sew at her annual summer “grandparent camps.”  She loved daily crosswords, playing bridge and mahjong, puzzles, and chocolate.  She was an avid reader and kept extensive reading lists in an attempt to complete all of the works of authors she loved.

She and Don enjoyed world travel, and attended storytelling and arts festivals throughout the U.S.  She loved getting out in nature and filled their home with plants and nature art ranging from paintings to ceramics. 

Mary was known to be generous, patient, and compassionate.  She was always available, a good listener, and quick with a warm and embracing smile. Humble about her accomplishments, she celebrated others’ successes. She nurtured and kept lifelong friends. 

Mary is survived by her sister, Sarah Holmes, and her brother, Jason Auman; her four children and their spouses, Clayton (Beth) Sanders, Kendall (Ed) Kirkland, Stewart (Sara) Sanders, and Susannah (Mike) Winiski; nine grandchildren and their spouses, Ian (Allie) Sanders, Reid (Lia) Sanders, Layne (James) Braunstein, Lauren (Kevin) Steighner, Alicia (Jeanne) Sanders, Edie Sanders, Mary Sanders, Emma Winiski, and Jordan Winiski; two great-grandchildren, Kai Kattas and Isla Steighner; and numerous nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.  She is predeceased by her husband, her parents, and her grandson, Joel Sanders.

A joint memorial service celebrating Mary’s and Don’s lives will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, October 17, 2025, at Dilworth United Methodist Church, 605 East Blvd., Charlotte, NC.  The family will receive friends following the service at the church.  

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations in Mary’s memory to go to Crisis Assistance Ministry of Charlotte.

Mary quietly spoke love and loudly enacted it. A measure of her impact is how she made all she encountered feel more empowered and hopeful. Her genuine interest in others elevated them. And elevates us today.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606.  Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.