Obituary of Gordon John Sanderson

Gordon John (Sandy) SANDERSON

Gordon John (Sandy) Sanderson passed away peacefully on March 23, 2025, at Chelsey Park Long-Term Care Home, London. He was in his 100^th year, the beloved husband of the late Caroline (nee Drulard) and devoted father of five children: Mary (Gerry) of Stratford, John of Stratford, Robert (Susan) of Vancouver, Anne of London, and Barbara (Craig) of Vancouver Island. He will be sadly missed by his grandchildren, Andrew (Sarah), Adam (Sheri), Jennifer (Maxime), Sarah (Trinity), Melissa, Daniel, Allison and seven great-grandchildren, Noah, Alisha, Trent, Evelynn, Julian, Elodie and Jade.

Sandy was an only child, born in England on October 8, 1925, to his English mother, Edna Dorothy Sanderson and Scottish father, Robert John Sanderson. He was just a toddler when his father accidentally died by drowning and several years later, his mother was remarried to Edward Saunders, who became a cherished part of Sandy’s life. At the age of 14, Sandy was shipped off to the town of Lewes in Sussex County as part of Operation Pied Piper – a massive evacuation of mostly children from London during the Second World War. One of his most vivid memories is running or biking with friends to the top of nearby hills where they could watch distant dogfights between German and British planes over London during the Battle of Britain in 1940.

When he aged out of that program, he began apprenticing as a photographer at a small newspaper and in 1943, before his 18th birthday, he volunteered to enlist in the armed services, ending up in the Royal Navy as a ship’s photographer on an aircraft carrier. He spent the duration of the war in the South Pacific, with ports of call that included Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and Australia. Following the war, he got a job as a photographer for the British Air Ministry in Whitehall as part of a team that toured Scotland photographing National Trust parks.

A friend told him Canada was looking for Brits to immigrate. The 22-year-old got his free flight to Canada in October 1947 and it didn’t take him long to get a job as a shelf stocker at a Loblaws grocery store on Yonge Street, then novice reporter in Thorold and Niagara Falls before moving to London, Ontario to begin his 41-year career at The London Free Press.

Soon he met Caroline on a blind date arranged by one of her co-workers. They were married for 60 years until her passing in 2013.

At The London Free Press, he started as a reporter covering trials in the old Courthouse. His most memorable achievement at the newspaper was “Sound Off,” the second and longest-lasting consumer-complaints column in Canada. “He was soft-spoken and reasoned,” it was said at the time … and “is so meticulous, so careful and absolutely fair that there has not been one complaint that Sound Off information is inaccurate.” High praise considering the column’s contentious subject matter. His role in the column he developed would be remembered by Londoners for decades.

Sandy was “a fixture and a star” as general assignment reporter, science columnist, roving features reporter and at the Queen’s Park bureau (twice). He was one of two reporters who covered Ontario Premier David Peterson’s trade mission to China, Japan and South Korea. Before Sound Off he was also acting manager of the promotions department and, after retirement, came back as a well-respected ombudsman/readers' advocate, holding the newspaper accountable for its editorial decisions. Former colleagues praised “his meticulous touch to journalism” that made him an ideal candidate for that role.

Sandy and Caroline raised their five children in London at homes on Ramsay Road, St. James Street and Dufferin Avenue. They have fond memories of trips to Florida, Chaffey’s Locks, Montreal and summer cottages on Lake Huron. Sandy travelled to Seattle and Vancouver to visit his children on the west coast. In his 90s he was able to return to his roots and visit Carnoustie, Scotland, sail the Danube with his children and take the Rocky Mountaineer across the Rockies with his grandson. 

Sandy was active in church, school and community affairs, serving in various volunteer positions. During his retirement years he fulfilled a dream of writing a book. On January 1, 2000, The Luck of the Irish in Canada: A History of the Irish Benevolent Society of London and Middlesex, was published. He also co-authored Challenged to Achieve Their Full Potential: St. Peter/St. Mary Choir and Orchestra Program 1967-1992. He never lost his love of news and read two newspapers daily, plus the Economist, the Smithsonian and other magazines and books. He was fascinated by science and technology, loved the Blue Jays and thoroughly appreciated a well-written news story. He was a true gentleman and his charm and sense of humour will be missed.

Special thanks to the staff at Chelsey Park Long-Term Care home. Visitors will be received at the John T. Donohue Funeral Home, 362 Waterloo Street at King Street on Thursday April 10, 2025 from 2 to 4 o’clock. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at Christ the King Parish, Windemere on the Mount, 1486 Richmond Street, London on Friday April 11 at 10 a.m. Interment at St. Peter's Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to donate to The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Affordable Housing project at https://ssvplondon.ca/ah-donation/ or L'Arche London at https://larchelondon.ca/