Randa Laverne Saunders

Randa LaVerne Saunders, 79, passed away peacefully on 3/18/19 at the Terraces of Los Gatos, CA. For 59 years she was the loving wife of John Paul Saunders of Carmi, Illinois. Born in Jefferson Co., Alabama, Randa was the fourth of six daughters of Ira C. Murphree and Abbagail D. Horsley. Randa and John were married in 1960 after falling in love in Kansas City, Missouri. They both worked for TWA, which led to a career as a pilot for John, and inspired their move to California to start a new life on the West Coast. After purchasing a home in Long Beach, they started a family in 1970 with the first of two boys: Scott Saunders (1970), followed by Mark Saunders (1972). Randa was kept very busy by the two boys in the 70's and 80's, often serving on PTA boards, and supporting their swimming and soccer interests. Randa and John are probably best remembered for their second career as owners of two local Baskin-Robbins® ice cream stores. During the late 80's and early 90's Randa served as the first employer for countless local high school and college kids. Randa is also remembered for the untimely death of her youngest son, Mark, in 1987. Mark's skateboarding accident had a profound impact on the entire family. Randa handled the loss with grace, filling the hole in her heart with the love and support of her large network of family and friends - and a dog named Murph. In her retirement years Randa enjoyed spending time at their vacation condo in Victoria, B.C., and visiting (and spoiling) her grandchildren in San Jose. Randa was always known for her stylish dinner parties, which often involved her cherished collection of Fiesta ware. Her biggest party involved a cruise to Alaska in 2010 to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary. This grand celebration was Randa's Swan Song. The years that followed saw the onset of dementia, and a move to San Jose in 2015 to be closer to Scott's family.

Randa is survived by four sisters: Lorene, Earline, Sue, and Alice. She is also survived by her husband John, her son Scott, her daughter-in-law Shannon, and her grandkids, Liam and Ava. She is preceded by her son, Mark, and her youngest sister Rita.

The memorial service and burial will be on Saturday April 6th, at the Forest Lawn Memorial Chapel, 1500 E San Antonio Dr., Long Beach, CA. The visitation will begin at 9:00am, with a service at 10:00am, followed by a crypt-side burial in the mausoleum – not far from Mark.

A reception following the burial will be held at 1:00pm at the Long Beach Marriott, 4700 Airport Plaza Dr., Long Beach, CA 90815

Memorial Donations (in lieu of flowers) may be made to the Genesis Foundation:
https://www.tgp-foundation.org/donate
In loving memory of Randa Saunders