Former city clerk Saunders dies of pancreatic cancer
Jay Saunders, a former Scranton city clerk, lost his battle with pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Saunders, 47, died Monday, two years after being diagnosed with the disease.
"We were great friends," Mayor Chris Doherty said. "Everybody loved him. He was very popular."
It was during a routine checkup after Mr. Saunders had his gallbladder removed that he learned he had pancreatic cancer.
Mr. Saunders doggedly battled the cancer with optimism and humor, as he endured numerous clinical trials, chemotherapies and operations to shrink the size of a pancreatic tumor.
In an article in The Times-Tribune in March 2011 about his fight against the disease, Mr. Saunders joked that as a former city council clerk he had previously survived having to regularly attend contentious council meetings.
Gary DiBileo, a former city council member who is now Lackawanna County controller, recalled that Mr. Saunders had served as city clerk under two different council majorities in the early to mid- 2000s.
"Jay was a real fighter. He was a terrific city clerk. He was a terrific guy in general. He was one of the toughest guys I know, and that's what allowed him to fight this disease as strongly as he did," Mr. DiBileo said.
In April 2011, 1,000 people attended a "Social for Saunders" fundraiser to help offset medical and other expenses that the Saunders family faced.
Born in Scranton Mr. Saunders graduated from Scranton Central High School and Mansfield University, where he received a degree in criminal justice. Mr. Saunders spent part of his career at the Lackawanna County Prison as a sergeant and training coordinator.
The funeral will be held Friday from the Solfanelli-Fiorillo Funeral Home Inc., 1030 N. Main Ave. Scranton, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. Patrick's Church, 1403 Jackson St., Scranton. Friends may call Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Mr. Saunders obituary can be found on Page B8.
Contact the writer: jlockwood@ timesshamrock.com