Obituary of Sanger Elwin Knowlton

On August 3^rd, Sanger E. Knowlton, 78, of Herndon, loving husband, father and grandfather, passed away peacefully after a brief, but courageous battle with cancer.

Sanger was born on August 9, 1941 in Dover-Foxcroft, Maine to Elwin Sanger and Phyllis (Nutter) Knowlton. Sanger grew up in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where he enjoyed spending time with friends and family on Pontoosac Lake.  In 1961, he graduated from Hudson Valley Community College with an A.A.S. degree Electronics and moved to Huntsville, Alabama where he met his wife, Sharyn and started a family. After a few years residing in Stone Mountain, Georgia, where Sanger had many great friends, the family moved to Northern Virginia.

Sanger enjoyed a long and successful career. He worked on the NASA Saturn rocket projects during the height of the Space Race, and later for Computer Sciences Corporation, Infonet, and finally CACI, retiring in 2004.  In retirement, Sanger served on the board of directors of his neighborhood homeowner’s association, Oak Mill in Herndon. 

His true joy was spending time with his beloved grandsons, Max and Sam. He always helped them with school and scouting projects, taught them both how to drive and cherished their Saturday morning adventures of  long drives, exploring local parks, perusing shopping malls, and discovering new museums.

Sanger was preceded in death by his parents, Elwin and Phyllis, and his brother Dennis. Sanger is survived by his loving and devoted wife of 50 years, Sharyn; his son Troy and wife Ingrid; grandchildren Max and Sam; sister Lucena Winberg and her husband Ray; niece Bonnie Prestin, her husband Bill and children Danny and Katie; niece Sandy Frauhiger and her husband Todd; and nephew David Winberg and his wife Kelsey.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Sanger’s memory to the Stephen Siller Tunnel to Towers Foundation, www.tunnel2towers.org. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, a memorial service will be held at a later date.