Effingham, NH

Retired Maj. Lloyd D. Sanborn Jr. “Sandy” USAF was the son of Lloyd D. Sanborn Sr. and Marion Fay who passed away March 19, 2017 in Ferguson, MO., one month short of age 96.

 The family had resided in Effingham, NH since the 1840’s and the ancestral house is still there.

“Sandy” is survived by his sons David Charles Sanborn of South Berwick, Maine and Arthur Clayton Sanborn of St. Albans, Missouri. He also leaves a granddaughter Jennifer Osborn of Blue Hill, Maine.  His other son Michael Sanborn passed away in 1977. His third wife Christian O’Hara of Birmingham, England passed in 1977 (mother of Arthur Clay Sanborn). His youngest brother Charles Gordon Sanborn was killed in WWII and older brother Walter Sanborn passed in 2014. A sister Elizabeth Sanborn passed in 1993.  He was a close partner and friend to Loretta Watts of St. Louis, Missouri for 36 years who passed in 2012. Loretta had two daughters Monica Brown and Pamela Watts of St. Louis, Missouri.

 “Sandy” has had a long and distinguished military career of 21 years in the USAF as a pilot and navigator starting with B-25’s and advancing to B-24’s, B-29’s, B-50’s and finally B-47’s when he retired in 1964. He is the holder of many military medals which included the Distinguished Flying Cross with Oak Leave Clusters which is the highest outside of the Medal of Honor. He also holds many more medals, citations and honors too numerous to mention. He was noticed by USAF General Curtis LeMay while working at the MIT Radar Laboratory as an intelligence officer in 1947 and was sent to the Strategic Air Command, SAC, when it was initially being formed.  He joined SAC in the initial stages of formation, one of the greatest military organizations in history whose motto was “Peace is our Profession”.  While at MIT he met Eileen Robins of Prince Edward Island whom he married, his second wife (mother of David Sanborn).

 He served in intense combat in WWII in New Guinea and Australia under the US Army under the command of Douglas MacArthur flying B-24’s and B-25’s in the Southwest Pacific.  He later received a citation for ten thousand hours of flight time during his military career. With his career in SAC he flew all over the world including North Africa, Asia and Iceland.    He participated in bombing competitions with the RAF in the late 40’s and 50’s.  After retiring from the military in 1964 he worked for the Defense Mapping Agency in St. Louis for 20 years as a mapping specialist retiring in 1984. He earned at BS degree in social psychology in 1968 from the University of Missouri St. Louis.

“Sandy” was an extraordinary man who was orphaned during the Great Depression because his parents could no longer care for him.  He attended Good Will Hinckley School in Maine with Gordon Sanborn and graduated in 1941 and then enlisted in the USAF. He loved the school where he worked with the horses, farming, cut ice in the winter and was the school barber for several years. He is the last survivor of the class of 1941 except Gracie Goodwin of that class who was his high school sweetheart and first wife. He had many fond memories of the school which he frequently shared his stories with friends and family. His only surviving school buddy was Sam Farnum of Albany, New York who was 3 years behind him at the school.   

Sandy was a great naturalist and loved hiking, fishing and hunting in the New England woods and Alaska. For many years he was also an avid gardener.  He also loved hiking the English countryside and moors when stationed in England in the late 40’s.  During training missions in Alaska in the 1950’s he would ship giant Pacific crab and salmon home to his family living in El Paso, Texas.  He was truly an outstanding representative of the “Greatest Generation” who came up from nothing and achieved so much with so little. He will be fondly remembered as a gentleman of the old school who lived a life of grace and courage and sacrificed so much for our beloved country. He will be fondly remembered for his skills as a host, friend to all.  

Services will be held in the Sanborn Cemetery, Rt. 152, Effingham NH, Saturday, September, 9, 2017 at 1:30 pm.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the Good Will Hinckley School in Maine.

 Service Information