Michael Alexander Sanders, 88, of Allentown, died peacefully Nov. 26, 2023, sharing his final hours with his son and daughter in the Lehigh Valley Hospice Inpatient Unit, Allentown.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Clara-Louise “Claire” (Keener) Sanders, to whom he was happily married for 58 years.

Born June 30, 1935, in Berlin, Germany, he was the son of the late Lucy Emily Margaret (Gambrill) Sanders of Larchmont, N.Y. and Alexander G.P. Sanders of Stuttgart, Germany.

In September 1940, his family fled the World War II nightly German bombings of London.

After returning to Great Britain, he spent his adolescent years in various boarding schools.

His family eventually relocated to Larchmont, and at the age of 18, he proudly became a naturalized American citizen.

He served faithfully and honorably in the U.S. Air Force Reserve as a way to demonstrate his love of the United States.

A 1959 graduate of Muhlenberg College, after a brief banking stint on Wall Street, he returned to Allentown to begin a 40-year career in petroleum sales and marketing.

He helped grow a small, rural, family-owned oil company, Swann Oil Inc., into a large East Coast conglomerate before retiring on July 1, 1998.

He later authored and published his memoir, “Bridges to Sandholm,” in November 2012.

His survivors include children Sherry L. Clemens (John) of Honey Brook, Gregory M. Sanders (Kim) of Kempton; sister Jennifer S. Duhy (Ken) of Amelia Island, Fla.; grandchildren Abigail, Mallory, Zachary (Chantal) and Phoebe; and several nieces and nephews.

He was predeceased by a sister, Patricia D. Roberts.

His memorial service will be 11 a.m. Dec. 8 in Heintzelman Funeral Home Inc., 4906 Route 309, Schnecksville.

Family and friends may pay their respects 9:30 a.m.-11 a.m. Friday in the funeral home.

Expressions of sympathy may be made heintzelmancares.com.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital c/o the funeral home, P.O. Box 196, Schnecksville, PA 18078-0196.