Dennis J. Sander

The celebration of life for Dennis J Sander, 85, of Lawrence, KS, will be held at 3:30 pm on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at Trinity Episcopal Church in Lawrence, reception to follow.

Dennis passed away peacefully on Friday, September 4, 2026, at the University of Kansas Health System in Kansas City, KS. He was surrounded by family and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents Stewart and Pearl Sander.

He is survived by his daughters Daria Wagganer, Ariel Tribble, Amanda Zornes, and Erika Sander, along with grandchildren Olivia and Sophia Wagganer, Alex and Zoe Tribble, and Daviel, Ariana and Jax Cardona. He also leaves behind his brother, Stewart Sander Jr., and much-loved nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.

Dennis was born on April 30, 1941, in Pittsburgh, PA, the son of Stewart and Pearl Sander. As a young boy, he enjoyed water skiing at his family’s lake house. He was also an avid diver, golfer, and gifted artist who loved to draw. He graduated from Mt. Lebanon High School in 1959 and went on to study architecture at the University of Pennsylvania.

Dennis graduated with his Master of Architecture degree from Penn in 1967. He completed his master’s thesis under renowned architect Louis Kahn during his time in the program. He was also taught by Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown. The time he spent learning from these brilliant mentors shaped him professionally and as a person. He considered it to be one of the most significant honors of his life.

Dennis married Janet Ray in 1968, and welcomed daughters Daria and Ariel. He worked for professional architecture firms in New York City and Philadelphia at the outset of his career. At James Associates, he was the lead designer on the team that won the prestigious Progressive Architecture First Design Award in 1972. His passion for teaching led him to faculty positions at Ball State University and Ohio State University, where he won the Charles E. MacQuigg Award for Outstanding Teaching in Architecture in 1979.

Dennis and his family moved to Lawrence, KS, in 1980, where he served as a professor of architecture for the next 40 years.

Dennis married Tammy McKee in 1991, and became father to stepdaughter Amanda. The two of them welcomed Erika a year later. Dennis raised Erika primarily on his own from the time she was a toddler. He was the ultimate girl dad and his daughters were his most precious pride and joy.

Dennis had passions for travel and luxury automobiles. He often merged the two when creating assignments for his design studios at KU. Among his favorite concepts were ambitious museum, aquarium, and national park designs for Le Mans Auto Sport Racing and Museo Nuovo Lamborghini; The Sea of Cortez Aquarium/Baja Institute of Oceanic Sciences; and Arches National Park Museum. He traveled to Europe and Mexico on multiple occasions to present his work.

Some of his most notable architectural projects over his professional career included The Houses of Parliament of Dhaka (with Louis Kahn), The Bronx Zoo World of Birds and World of Darkness Exhibits, Philadelphia Veterans Stadium, and One Kansas City Place.

His 50-year teaching career fed his zest for life and kept his spirit young. His family will remember him for his eccentric personality, big heart, love of jazz music, and artistic prowess. Dennis was a loving father, teacher, and architect… “in that order.” He will be deeply missed.