Ms. Altamese Saunders passed away on July 26th, two days after attending a concert with her family in Clearwater. She was 83.
Her daughter, Karen Saunders, said her mother’s death came as a shock to the entire family, because her doctor had just given her a “clean bill of health” on July 19th during a visit.
“She was already planning her 84th birthday in October, because she knew it was a big event the entire family looked forward to,” said Karen.
Affectionately called “Gramms” by family members, Ms. Saunders was a lifelong resident of Tampa. She was educated in the Hillsborough County School System, first at Helping Hand Day Nursery, then at Harlem Academy, where her mother was a classroom teacher, and her grandmother, Christine A. Meacham (the elementary school was named in her honor), was principal.
Ms. Saunders was Salutatorian of the Middleton High School Class of 1946, and she always looked forward to meeting with some of her classmates, such as Alice Wade, Peggy Jo Jones, Harry Morris, James Hammond, and Ernest Calhoun.
Ms. Saunders received her B. A. degree in English Education from Florida Agricultural and Mechanical College in 1950. While at FAMC, she was initiated into the Beta Alpha Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She was a stalwart Diamond Life member of the Sorority with 64 years of continuous service.
Upon returning to Tampa, Ms. Saunders taught in Plant City, and received tenure at what was then College Hill (now J.W. Lockhart) Elementary. She retired form Robert E. Lee Elementary with 38 years of service.
Ms. Saunders married Jasper Saunders in 1952, and the couple remained husband and wife for 53-1/2 years. Rev. Saunders passed away in 2005.
Ms. Saunders is the mother of 3 daughters and one son, and has 6 grandchildren.
