Roger Layton Sanborn, 1936-2020
1936-2020
Roger Layton Sanborn passed away March 11, 2020, at the age of 83.
The only child of Clyde Sanborn, Sr. and Harriet Margaret Webb, he was born in Petaluma on June 10, 1936. Roger was raised in Petaluma and lived there until he moved to El Verano, where his mom and stepfather, William Bihn, ran the well-known Bihn Egg Farm.
Roger grew up driving through the Valley of the Moon to attend Santa Rosa Junior College. He graduated SRJC just as Clyde Sanborn, Sr. did before him. Roger married his wife Deanna in 1968. They were married 52 years. They lived in San Jose until 1969, then moved to Santa Rosa where Roger worked as a Sonoma County Pubic Defender until retirement in 1999. The Sandborns moved to Kenwood in 1975, where Roger lived until his death.
In addition to his wife, Roger is survived by three daughters: Sandy Ryan of Hawaii, Susie Bachman of Oregon (Mark Bachman), Sarah Sanborn of Napa, one son Tim Sanborn (Kristen Vogel) of Petaluma, nine grandchildren, and one great grandchild.
An avid birder, he also enjoyed poetry, music, sailing locally and in San Francisco Bay, and he loved spending time in nature, hiking and camping with family. He volunteered at Bouverie Preserve as a docent, the Sonoma Land Trust and at Jack London State Historic Park as historian docent. Donations can be made in his honor to The Bird Rescue Center of Sonoma County www.birdrescuecenter.org. Services will be held at a future date.
