James "Augie" Olga Saunders

James Olga “Augie” Saunders, II, age 74, left his earthly home on December 18th after a tough battle with lung cancer. Augie was born on August 16, 1950, to the late Virginia Osborne Saunders and James O. Saunders, Sr. He leaves behind his sister, Gayle Brann (husband, Scott Brann), his daughter, Chelsea Shelton (husband, Ben Shelton), his niece, Catherine Cori Sowers (husband, Ronnie Sowers) and his great nephew, Tanner James Sims. He also leaves behind his beloved German shepherd, Cooper.

Augie resided in Chatham, Virginia and attended Hargrave Military Academy. He graduated with the class of 1968. He attended William and Mary; Virginia Commonwealth University, where he spent much time playing music in coffee houses with friends; and Virginia Tech, where he studied forestry, following in the footsteps of his father and the Saunders men who cut timber and ran saw mills, including the Saunders Lumber Company. Augie even dabbled with his own portable saw mill with some friends after his retirement from the United States Postal Service. Augie also joined and served his country in the National Guard in the 1970s.

Augie was a rural mail carrier for 36 years, with the majority of those years spent in Chatham, and he was well known and loved by all the families on his mail routes, both human and canine. He was often found feeding treats to the dogs on his mail routes and rescued many animals over his lifetime. He loved animals and had many special pets over the years that were very dear to him.

Augie was one of the friendliest guys you would ever meet, and he loved to talk with and get to know people. He loved music and was a talented musician himself, playing the guitar, banjo, and some mandolin. He was a member of the Watson Memorial United Methodist Church in Chatham and sang in the choir there for many years. He traveled to Galax, Virginia many summers where he would compete in the Annual Old Fiddler’s Convention, and he enjoyed the many impromptu jam sessions around camp with some of the lifelong friends he made there. He was greatly inspired by the music of Tony Rice, Ricky Skaggs, and Townes Van Zandt. He once gave Townes Van Zandt a ride somewhere he needed to go in Richmond, and he loved to tell this story. He had a great sense of humor and loved to laugh and tell jokes.

Augie enjoyed reading and loved reading about and discussing history and politics. He was a lifetime member of the NRA, a well-loved member of the Scale Rock Sportsman Club, and enjoyed hunting and fishing. He was a skilled gunsmith and also ran D&S Gun Shop with a brother-in-law, Alan DeAndrea. He was an avid pool player and loved spending time playing pool with his buddies, and he enjoyed teaching his daughter how to play. He helped run a pool hall in Chatham back in the 70s and helped run a little beer joint in Chatham called the Red Fox Inn with his then wife, Peggy, the mother of his only daughter.

He loved his friends and family and greatly appreciated all of the love and prayers he received over the last months of his life, especially. He will be missed so very much by so many.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, December 28th at Norris Funeral Home in Chatham at 2:00pm with Pastor Richard Motley officiating. The family will receive visitors at the funeral home one hour prior to the service. He will be interred on the family farm between two of his beloved canine companions. The interment at the family farm will be private.