HAVERHILL: Robert Richard Saunders, 86, formerly of Hampstead, NH, passed away peacefully on July 26, 2025 in the company of his loving and devoted family. He is survived by his wife of sixty-eight years and childhood next-door neighbor, Patricia Jean (Girard) Saunders.

The son of the late Richard Dolloff Saunders and June (Guerin Saunders) Dion, Bob graduated from Haverhill Trade School in 1956, where he served as treasurer for his graduating class. He enlisted in the United States Navy following high school and was deeply proud of his service as an electrician third class on the U.S.S. Conger, a Tench class submarine stationed in New London, CT. In 1959, Bob went to work for Western Electric Company, later known as Lucent Technologies. In the late 1960s, Bob put the upholstery expertise he gained in trade school to use, leaving Western Electric to open Hygrade Upholstery in Haverhill with his partner Jack Ferrick. After sixteen years in business, during which Hygrade annually sponsored a Little League team, Bob returned to Western Electric, retiring in 2000.

A talented and enthusiastic gardener and landscape designer, Bob grew vegetables and flowers at his home in Bradford, MA and later homes in Kingston, NH and Hampstead, NH. His family remembers with fondness the beautiful, terraced garden he built at he and Pat's summer cottage on Chestnut Pond in Epsom, NH. To source the raw material for the garden's retaining walls, Bob implemented a rule: No one was to exit the pond without a rock. As Bob's garden grew, so did a sandy, rock-free swimming area for his ten grandchildren.

His hobbies were numerous, and Bob delighted in sharing them with his friends and family. He enjoyed puzzles, cards (especially forty-fives) and cribbage, bowling, and golf, and was a faithful spectator at his children's and grandchildren's sporting events. As a life-long fan of Boston's sports teams, Bob never missed an opportunity to tune in to NESN. He was an avid collector of antiques and filled countless shelves with Royal Doulton collectibles. Bob loved taking cruise vacations, and he and Pat enjoyed many over the years.

Bob's family was never far from his mind, as evidenced by the steady flow of newspaper clippings and cards addressed to his children and grandchildren over the decades. A kind and sociable man, Bob was a past member of the Haverhill Lodge of Elks, Chapter 165.

He will be remembered for his work ethic, thoughtful nature, quick wit, and love for his family. Bob will be profoundly missed by his children, Stephen Saunders, and wife Susan, of Chatham, MA, Pamela LaCroix and husband Joseph of Hampton, NH, Mark Saunders and wife Joanne of Salem, NH, and Danielle Saunders and partner Sherryl DeBlois of Haverhill, MA. Also left to cherish his memory are Bob's grandchildren, Sarah, Kristin, Christopher, Shane, Leah, Ryan, Brendan, Daniel, Richard, and Samantha, his eighteen great-grandchildren, his sisters-in-law, and his many nieces and nephews.

Bob was predeceased by his stepfather, Roland Dion, sisters, Ruthanne Carlisle and Nancy Comeau, and beloved son Richard Saunders.

Family and friends are invited to attend calling hours on Tuesday, August 5, 2025 from 10:00am to 12:00 pm at Dole, Childs & Shaw Funeral Home, 148 Main St., Haverhill. A private inurnment will follow at Atkinson Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 262 Danny Thomas Place, Memphis, TN 38105. Messages of condolence may be sent to www.dcsfuneralhome.com.