Mr. Sanford Eugene Harper

Mount Juliet, Tennessee 82 Passed away at Quality Health and Rehabilitation Center. Please keep he Harper family in your prayers. Sanford Eugene Harper was born on April 28, 1938 to Patterson and Willie Mae Harper, the fourth of their six children. Sanford was born in Lynch, Kentucky but raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. He went home to be with his heavenly father on July 14, 2020. Sanford was raised in a religious home and loved the Lord. He joined Morning Star Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio at a young age and participated in many church activities. He was a member of Second Baptist Church in Columbus, Ohio for thirty years. He served on the Trustee Board and was active in the Brotherhood serving one term as its president. He and his wife, Carol, relocated to Mt. Juliet, Tennessee after retirement and joined the Fifteenth Avenue Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee where he worked in the Love Kitchen until his health began to fail. In 1965, Sanford married Carol Adele James. They were blessed with two wonderful children, Derek born in 1966 and Shanna in 1970. As a father, he stressed the importance of religion and education to his children and led by example as evidenced by his pursuit of higher education and activism in his church. Sanford attended Cincinnati Public Schools throughout his elementary and high school years, graduating from Taft High School in 1957. He graduated from Central State University with a B.S. degree in Mathematics in 1962. He completed post graduate studies in Mathematics at Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan. In 1975, he earned a Masters in Business Administration (MBA) in finance from Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. After graduating from Central State, Sanford was employed as a mathematician with the federal government in Pottsville, PA. Six months later he was drafted by the Army. When he was honorably discharged in 1965, he worked for the federal government in St. Louis, MO. He later worked for Consolidated Gas Company in Detroit, MI, then General Electric Company in both Lynn, MA and Evendale, Ohio. In 1974, he moved to Columbus, Ohio on loan from General Electric to provide leadership for a minority owned company. After leaving General Electric, entrepreneurship became a way of life for Sanford. He was the founder, President and CEO of Harper Industries, Inc. which was a modified, integrated manufacturing company with more than 150 employees. He later founded Har-per and James, a business consultant firm; Poole Harper (ph) Services, a marketing consultant firm focusing on environmental is-sues; and Food America International, Inc. (FAI). FAI marketed brand name products in international markets primarily in Africa and the Caribbean. FAI had an exclusive agreement to sell the Borden Company products to 41 African nations. He has been recognized for his leadership, entrepreneurship and achievements in several publications including the Columbus Dispatch newspaper, Black Enterprise, Jet and NIP magazines. Sanford was a lifetime member of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He was initiated on December 9, 1960 in the Delta Zeta Chapter at Central State University. He was very active in the Columbus Alumni Chapter serving as a past Polemarch and later became a member of the Nashville Alumni Chapter. He received numerous awards from the Columbus Chapter in appreciation for his dedication and contribution to the achievement of the chapter. His favorite saying was "K A Psi til the day I die." Sanford believed in being involved in something that helped the community. He was past president of the Board of Directors of CAMACO, a community action agency in Columbus, Ohio. He was also an officer with the Eastland Athletic Baseball Association and managed his son's baseball teams. Sanford was known for being an extroverted, friendly, and sociable person. He never met a stranger. He was always talking to any and everyone about a variety of topics. He loved to talk about his family, Kappa Alpha Psi, Central State University the Cleveland Browns and especially baseball in his later years. Sanford Harper was preceded in death by his parents, Patterson and Willie Mae Harper; four brothers: Patterson Jr., Robert, Andrew, and Donald Harper. He leaves to cherish his memory a devoted wife, Carol Harper; son, Derek (Jackye) Lawrence-Harper of Tole-do, Ohio; daughter, Shanna (Ron) Jackson of Mt. Juliet, TN; sister, Antoinette Harper of Oak Park, Illinois; three sisters- in-law and two brothers-in-law; grandchildren: Ryan and Cara Jackson of Mt. Juliet, TN and a host of nieces, nephews, devoted cousins and special friends Masks are required for entry into the building. We are still following the CDC guidelines and are practicing social distancing. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Mr. Sanford Eugene Harper

April 28, 1938 - July 14, 2020