Ceril Colette McClendon, age 73, went home to be with the Lord on October 18, 2026.

She was born on July 12, 1953, in Butler, Alabama, to the late Cecil Maxine McClendon and Leo Wilson McClendon.

She graduated from the University of Alabama in 1975 and went on to have a fulfilling career at AT&T, retiring in 1999. She moved to Dallas in 1976 and eventually made her home in Carrollton, Texas, where she was a member of First Baptist Church of Carrollton.

She was known for her laugh, her love of music, her sense of fashion, her devotion to family, and her faith in Jesus Christ.

She raised her daughter, Carletta, as a single parent and proudly walked her down the aisle to be joined in marriage to James Sanders, Jr. Her eight grandchildren, Andrew, Jasmine, Isaiah, Elijah, Nicolas, Olivia, Benjamin, and Micah, are her legacy and life’s greatest joy.

She is survived by her daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren, as well as siblings Clinton Brown, Marilyn Davis, Jerry McClendon, Lynne Polk, Freida Washington, and Victor McClendon; brother-in-law Jack Polk; sisters-in-law Josie McClendon and Cindy Brown; and many nephews and nieces. She was preceded in death by her brother Leo McClendon, Jr.