Carl Miller Saunders

Carl Miller Saunders, 78, of Drexel went home to be with his Lord and Savior on Saturday, February 15, 2020.  Born in Newport, VA on June 27, 1941, he was the son of the late Fred Burton Saunders and Iva Shirley Duncan Saunders.  He was a member of Chesterfield Church of Christ.

Carl grew up on a farm and attended Bluefield College of Evangelism in Bluefield, WV.  Although he worked various jobs from laundromat to tractor-trailer driving, his first love was preaching the gospel.  Some of the places his preached included Dublin, Virginia, Paw Paw, West Virginia, and Paragould, Arkansas.  He also participated in two mission trips to India.  In 1985 he moved to Morganton to serve as associate minister, and later minister, at Bethel Church of Christ.  He was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force, was a lifetime member of DAV Chapter #43, and enjoyed deer hunting.

Carl is survived by his wife of 58 wonderful years, Margaret Jordan Saunders; daughter, Martha Saunders Capaldini (James); grandchildren, Carrie, Crystal, and Billy Saunders and Jesse, David, and Braydon Capaldini; four-great-grandchildren; and a nephew, Stewart Wayne Peery (Kim).

In addition to his parents, Carl was preceded in death by a son, Clarence Mark “Roscoe” Saunders; a sister, Carol Saunders Peery; and an infant brother and sister.

The memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., Saturday, February 29, 2020 at Bethel Church of Christ, 415 Bethel Road, Morganton, NC 28655.  The gravesides service will follow in the Chesterfield Church of Christ Cemetery with military honors provided by the U.S. Air Force and the Caldwell County Veterans Honor Guard.

Memorial contributions may be made to IDES (www.ides.org), Northeast Ohio Bible College (www.neobc.org), or to Mission Explosion International (www.missionexplosion.com).