Yuma community mourning the loss of longtime deputy

It has been a loss for the entire Yuma community since the Yuma County Sheriff’s Office announced last Thursday that they lost one of their longtime deputies to a hard fought battle with cancer.

Lieutenant Ken Sanders passed away after a two-year battle with stage four adenocarcinoma of the lung, according to Sanders’ brother, Sergeant Major Danny Sanders.

The late lieutenant spent two decades serving the country and community at MCAS Yuma before he decided he wanted to continue to serve the Yuma community as a sheriff’s deputy for 14 years.

His colleagues at YCSO were brought to tears explaining how he not only kept dangerous drugs off of our streets, he served as a leader in their agency.

“He was a natural leader. He wanted to make a positive change. He promoted through the ranks because he knew that that’s the way to make change ,” said Mark Martinez, Sanders’ best friend.

They said Yuma County will now miss out on his passion for law enforcement, calling Sanders “that guy.”

His best friend now remembers the last time he was able to take Sanders out for a bite to eat.

“And as we were getting ready to leave, he said “well are we ready to go out to eat? We thought cool, he’s up to it. He has the strength to go out. After we brought him home, that night is when he lost mobility,” explained Martinez.

Martinez said he knows his friend is in a better place.

“There was a flyover . I thought the Sergeant Major ordered that, but it just so happened there was a flyover when we were taking Ken to the mortuary,” said Martinez.

His brother called him a “know it all” and explained why Sanders loved Yuma.

“He made great friends. He always talked to me about it when I was overseas, calling constantly. He just loved everything about it. He loved the community because his first duty station was 29 Palms, Calif. so he got used to it, the desert environment and this is what he was comfortable with,” Sgt. Major Sanders said.

Sanders added he thought his brother would want to be remembered by the community like this.

“Always make the right choices. Take the hard right over the easy wrong. No matter what it is. Stand up and do the right thing.”

Lieutenant Sanders will be laid to rest Saturday at Faith Baptist Church.

A formal military ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in the parking lot before the service begins.