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February 4, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 12-4 PM.
Funeral services celebrating Stephen’s life will be held at 4 PM, immediately following the visiting hours, where friends will be encouraged to share their stories and favorite memories.
Stephen E. Saunders, age 21 of Wayne, died tragically on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Wayne.
Stephen was raised in Wayne and graduated from Wayne Valley High School with the class of 2008. He had a lot of hobbies and was passionate about all of them. His mother recalls he had a fascination with airplanes since he was about six months old, when he would stare up at the sky every time an airplane was overhead. Over the past few years he had been to countless air shows and could name just about every type of aircraft just by looking at it. He had been taking flight lessons at Lincoln Park Airport and was planning to get his pilot’s license. He worked part time during the summers at the Aero Safety Training Flight School at Lincoln Park airport and enjoyed being around the airplanes, meeting the pilots, and learning as much as he could. As with all of his hobbies and interests, he immersed himself in each of them and tried to learn as much as possible.
Stephen was a member of the Garden State GTO’s car club, inspired by his father, and always loved to go to car shows. He was like a walking index of muscle car knowledge and frequently knew more about 1960’s muscle cars than many of his fellow club members who were alive in the 1960’s. He enjoyed the club and truly appreciated how the other members took him under their wing and shared so much with him. He was currently working on his own restoration of a 1969 GTO coupe.
He was also passionate about music. It would be an understatement to say he was a huge Beatles fan. Their music was very inspirational to him and he often wore a talisman necklace, just like the one John Lennon used to wear. He also loved Pink Floyd and many of the classic rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s. At eighteen years old he picked up a guitar and taught himself how to play. He was actually getting rather good at it and had even started to study music.
Stephen was currently enrolled at Rutgers University, planning to graduate this May. He was studying engineering but had changed his major recently to English and History. He enjoyed school and thought he might like to be an archivist after graduating. He produced a weekly video on YouTube where he would review various video games. He took it very seriously and the quality of his work was on a professional level. He was proficient at many video games and his online name was “The Judgeinator”.
Stephen also enjoyed day trips to the Point Pleasant boardwalk. He would spend hours playing games in the arcades and he even won a guitar there once. Perhaps that’s what inspired him to begin playing. He and his friends were devotees to the Wo-Hop Restaurant in New York’s Chinatown as well. It was clearly one of his favorite places to eat and he had just been there last Friday for dinner. Surely his friends will cherish those memories forever.
Stephen is survived by his loving mother; Barbara Saunders of Pequannock, his loving father; Edward Saunders of Wayne, his grandmothers; Eileen Saunders of Wayne and Roberta Allen of Whiting, NJ, his grandfather; Milan Marton of Florida, two uncles; Scott Saunders and his wife Diane of Warwick, NY, Tim Saunders and his wife Randi of Wayne, his four aunts; Patricia Saunders and her husband Joe Jacko of Kinnelon, Diane Canseco of Long Beach, CA, Karen Cascino and her husband Frank of Clifton, and Milan “Jim” Marton and his wife Kathy of Cary, NC, as well as a large extended family and many dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s memory to The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, 4370 Tujunga Ave., Ste 330, Studio City, CA 91604, www.mhopus.org. Or, please consider the Two Kids Foundation, LLC, PO Box 103, Whippany, NJ 07981-0103.
If you would like to send a private condolence directly to the family use this condolence section.
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 12-4 PM.
Funeral services celebrating Stephen’s life will be held at 4 PM, immediately following the visiting hours, where friends will be encouraged to share their stories and favorite memories.
February 4, 2012
Services
Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Saturday, February 11, 2012 from 12-4 PM.
Funeral services celebrating Stephen’s life will be held at 4 PM, immediately following the visiting hours, where friends will be encouraged to share their stories and favorite memories.
Stephen E. Saunders, age 21 of Wayne, died tragically on Saturday, February 4, 2012 in Wayne.
Stephen was raised in Wayne and graduated from Wayne Valley High School with the class of 2008. He had a lot of hobbies and was passionate about all of them. His mother recalls he had a fascination with airplanes since he was about six months old, when he would stare up at the sky every time an airplane was overhead. Over the past few years he had been to countless air shows and could name just about every type of aircraft just by looking at it. He had been taking flight lessons at Lincoln Park Airport and was planning to get his pilot’s license. He worked part time during the summers at the Aero Safety Training Flight School at Lincoln Park airport and enjoyed being around the airplanes, meeting the pilots, and learning as much as he could. As with all of his hobbies and interests, he immersed himself in each of them and tried to learn as much as possible.
Stephen was a member of the Garden State GTO’s car club, inspired by his father, and always loved to go to car shows. He was like a walking index of muscle car knowledge and frequently knew more about 1960’s muscle cars than many of his fellow club members who were alive in the 1960’s. He enjoyed the club and truly appreciated how the other members took him under their wing and shared so much with him. He was currently working on his own restoration of a 1969 GTO coupe.
He was also passionate about music. It would be an understatement to say he was a huge Beatles fan. Their music was very inspirational to him and he often wore a talisman necklace, just like the one John Lennon used to wear. He also loved Pink Floyd and many of the classic rock bands from the 60’s and 70’s. At eighteen years old he picked up a guitar and taught himself how to play. He was actually getting rather good at it and had even started to study music.
Stephen was currently enrolled at Rutgers University, planning to graduate this May. He was studying engineering but had changed his major recently to English and History. He enjoyed school and thought he might like to be an archivist after graduating. He produced a weekly video on YouTube where he would review various video games. He took it very seriously and the quality of his work was on a professional level. He was proficient at many video games and his online name was “The Judgeinator”.
Stephen also enjoyed day trips to the Point Pleasant boardwalk. He would spend hours playing games in the arcades and he even won a guitar there once. Perhaps that’s what inspired him to begin playing. He and his friends were devotees to the Wo-Hop Restaurant in New York’s Chinatown as well. It was clearly one of his favorite places to eat and he had just been there last Friday for dinner. Surely his friends will cherish those memories forever.
Stephen is survived by his loving mother; Barbara Saunders of Pequannock, his loving father; Edward Saunders of Wayne, his grandmothers; Eileen Saunders of Wayne and Roberta Allen of Whiting, NJ, his grandfather; Milan Marton of Florida, two uncles; Scott Saunders and his wife Diane of Warwick, NY, Tim Saunders and his wife Randi of Wayne, his four aunts; Patricia Saunders and her husband Joe Jacko of Kinnelon, Diane Canseco of Long Beach, CA, Karen Cascino and her husband Frank of Clifton, and Milan “Jim” Marton and his wife Kathy of Cary, NC, as well as a large extended family and many dear friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations in Stephen’s memory to The Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, 4370 Tujunga Ave., Ste 330, Studio City, CA 91604, www.mhopus.org. Or, please consider the Two Kids Foundation, LLC, PO Box 103, Whippany, NJ 07981-0103.
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