Rusty Sanders of Kingfisher, a longtime local funeral service owner and operator, received the highest honor bestowed to Oklahoma funeral directors, the OKFDA Stewardship Award.

The honor is awarded to an individual who has provided compassionate funeral care and community service for the betterment of families in their community.

Sanders was selected from among more than 1,100 funeral directors in the State. The OKFDA executive board, board of governors and past presidents select the recipient each year.

Vincent Friederich, current OKFDA president and Daren Flanagan, incoming president, presented the award to Sanders last Monday evening at the OKFDA Presidents Reception and Dinner.

Sanders was born and raised in Marland, joining the U.S. Navy in 1956 when he graduated high school and serving as an aviation structural mechanic on the USS Kearsarge.

After his discharge in 1959, Sanders attended Northern Oklahoma Junior College with plans to become a high school basketball coach until he switched focus and spent a summer working at Se-vier’s Funeral Home in Chickasha.

He earned a degree in mortuary science from Gupton-Jones College of Funeral Service in Dallas and then returned to Chickasha and worked for Sevier’s for six years.

Sanders met and married his wife, the former Fran Mills, in Chickasha and then moved with his young family to Kingfisher in 1967, working for Langley Funeral Home, which eventually became Hackney Funeral home in 1972.

The Sanderses purchased the funeral home in 1978, renaming it Sanders Funeral Service, a business they operated for nearly 50 years and where Sanders continues to work.

Sanders also has been active in the Kingfisher community, serving eight years as a Little League baseball coach and 19 years as a “temporary” volunteer boys’ basketball coach at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic School.

Working with former Kingfisher Chamber of Commerce manager Anita Long and many other volunteers in 1996, Sanders created “Kingfisher In Lights,” a Christmas lights display at Kingfisher Park, which included the swinging bridge, lit with 90,000 lights, and the “Stairway to Heaven,” a display honoring the 171 victims of the Murrah Building bombing, as two of its main features. Sanders served as president of the Kingfisher In Lights board for many years.

Sanders said he counts his five children, Lori Shidell, Chad Sanders, Nichole Copeland, State Rep. Mike Sanders and Chris Sanders, as his greatest achievements. His children were present last week at the ceremony honoring Sanders.