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Letter to the editor

County's 'Wizard' collapses, dies at 68

Assistant Citrus County administrator Kenneth Earl Saunders Jr. was known for his ability to come up with solutions for almost any problem.

By JORGE SANCHEZ
Published June 6, 2005

CITRUS HILLS - Assistant county administrator Kenneth Earl Saunders Jr. died Saturday (June 4, 2005) at his home, after collapsing from what is thought to have been a heart attack. He was 68.

Mr. Saunders was referred to by his colleagues as "Mr. Wizard" for his ability to come up with solutions for almost any problem.

"All I can say is that Citrus County lost one good and decent public servant when Ken Saunders passed away," said county Commissioner Gary Bartell.

Bartell said he and Mr. Saunders were close friends, whose relationship extended beyond the scope of their employment. Mr. Saunders and his wife, Jeanine, were expected to attend a Bartell family wedding Saturday evening, but failed to show up.

"I wondered why he didn't make it, and it wasn't until after it ended that I received a call from (county administrator) Richard Wesch," Bartell said.

"Yeah, we all called him Mr. Wizard. It just seemed that there wasn't a problem that he couldn't fix," Bartell said. "We had a great working relationship. Just Friday we were in his office, going over some of the things he had scheduled to do."

Mr. Saunders was appointed to the job of assistant county administrator in May 2001, according to county records. He was first employed by the county government in May 1989 as road maintenance director. In 1997, Mr. Saunders was promoted to director of public works.

He has been married to Jeanine Saunders for 42 years and the couple have two adult children. They moved to Citrus County from New Hampshire, where Mr. Saunders was director of public works for the city of Jaffrey for 20 years, according to county records.

County administrator Wesch was at the Saunders home Sunday and spoke of the loss.

"This is extremely difficult to bear on a personal level," Wesch said, breaking down in sobs. "And this is also a tremendous loss for the county."

Wesch said Mr. Saunders had returned home Saturday afternoon from a walk when he suddenly collapsed. He said the family suspects Mr. Saunders suffered a fatal heart attack.

Chas E. Davis Funeral Home and Crematory is handling the funeral, but arrangements were incomplete as of Sunday, said a funeral home staffer.

--Jorge Sanchez can be reached at 860-7313 or e-mail at sanchez@sptimes.com

[Last modified June 6, 2005, 01:34:12]