Alvin Kenneth Sanford

On Thursday, September 24, 2015, Alvin Kenneth “A.K.” Sanford left this life for a new one with better air conditioning. He is survived by the love of his life, Anne Marie Pope Sanford. Born in 1933 to Maybelle and Hilliard, he was raised to know the value of hard work, family loyalty, and above all a good laugh. From a young age he delighted in a rapt audience and adventure, attending Woodlawn School and later joining the US Marine Corps at the age of 16, aided by his childhood friend Elsie, who hand-crafted an age-appropriate birth certificate for the purpose. Activated in 1950, he cut a swatch across the Mediterranean Sea aboard the USS Capricornus, where he ate goat meat in Gibraltar, had his portrait drawn by a blind man in France, walked the steps of the Parthenon in Greece, and ran into a farming buddy in Italy. For a resilient man who knew no stranger, it was a dream. He returned home to Puddledock and in 1952, while out riding his horse, met a dark-haired girl from West Virginia. Following a proposal on a ferris wheel, a brief engagement, and a car chase, he married her in Washington D.C. They made their life in Prince George County amongst the things he loved best – his land, his horses and cattle – raising “four stinking girls and one sweet boy”. He farmed, founded three successful businesses, and joined the US Army, achieving the rank of Master Sergeant and training up a slew of his “crybaby” recruits. He went on to a 42 year career at Allied Chemical where he “made steam” in the River Water Pump House. A lifelong (and charter) member of Rosewood Presbyterian Church, his early experience as a boy lighting the woodstoves to warm the church every Sunday developed into a 75 year relationship with the temperature of the sanctuary. He was a good man with an immense capacity to love, a deep belief in the importance of family, and the intricate knowledge of just how high a properly placed rubber snake can make a person jump. He served on the Farm Bureau Board of Directors for many years. Preceded in death by his beloved mother, father, and brother Harold, he leaves behind his wife, Anne; his children, Alvin Kenneth, Sanford, Jr., (Vicki), Alana Gay Hoff, Joy Wettstein (Mark), Julie Pugh (Roy), and Kathy Alexander(Skip); grandchildren, Alana Anne, Laki, Kimberly, Ashley, Brittany, Ford, Daniel, Philip, Katie, Alex, Chloe, Nicholas, and Dustin; five great-grandchildren, Nathan, Isabelle, Olivia, Jeffrey and Rylee; his loving brother and partner, Vincent; his doting sister-in-law, Nancy Lanning; brother-in-law, Bruce Lanning; his big sister, Frances Dingas; numerous nieces and nephews, special friends "the four widows", countless people who loved and adored him, and most importantly, the light of his life, Spanky A. Sanford. No one who ever met him will forget his expressive turn of phrase, his joking manner, and his love of people. The family will receive friends at the Petersburg Chapel of J.T. Morriss & Son Funeral Home on Monday, September 28 from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m., and from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. The funeral will be held on Tuesday, September 29th at 11:00 a.m. at the funeral home, with interment to follow at Merchants Hope Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Wounded Warrior Project or the American Diabetes Association. Condolences may be registered at www.jtmorriss.com