Levi William Sanderson

Levi was born to be wild on May 28th, 1987 to parents Ivan and Anne Sanderson. According to his two sisters, Lacey-Anne Sanderson and Layne Rorquist, he was also born to raise a little hell.

Levi grew up on the family farm near Consul and spent many of his formative years following around his grandpa George as they puttered in the family shop. His grandparents always marvelled at how he could spend hours playing with a bucket of bolts. Inquisitive in nature, Levi became interested in how things work at a very young age. This then developed into taking things apart, and sometimes, if we were lucky, putting them back together.

When the family moved to Wadena, Levi and his sister Lacey spent countless hours out near the slough behind their Portage Drive home. The two were best of friends or wost of enemies depending on the day. Levi's favourite trick was purposely riling his older sister only to lock her in her own bedroom because he figured out how to take off and turn around the door knob. No matter the tensions between them, they always supported one another; especially when claiming they had nothing to do with it! The two definitely were not angels – a few of Levi’s other favourite escapades were turning the family camper into an indoor waterslide and hurling water balloons from the roof of their house while their mom was at work. Levi was a shit disturber. He loved a good joke and you knew when that little smirk of a smile came out something was up.When Layne came along, Levi had a new role, and he took the responsibility very seriously. He loved teaching her, whether it be the proper way to hold utensils or how to make the perfect paper airplane. Don’t worry though, he still did his brotherly duties which often consisted of letting her know how much he didn’t like that outfit. So much so that Layne demanded he come to help her pick out a wedding dress, cause god forbid he tell her that it was ugly on the day of.

Growing up Levi was a skilled athlete as was evident when he qualified for provincials multiple years in cross country running. He also played hockey where he and his dad had fond memories of listening to “The Shadow” on the radio on their late night drives back home. Levi completed all his schooling in Wadena and then went on to get his journymen as an autobody technician specializing in painting. He worked in the field for 20 years where he became known and respected for his keen sense of colour and ability to mix complex combinations. Levi was a talented artist. His preferred medium was pen to paper. However, he’s best known for his work with spray painting, whether that be vehicles… or graffiti.

As adults, Levi and his friends took several trips, but his favourites were the fishing trips up north. He would often be seen picking the blueberries in the ditches along the way. He loved living life in the wilderness, out of service, and on the water. The remoteness of the lakes made him feel close to God. In fact, he dreamed of moving to the mountains and living like a hermit: in the bush, off grid and away from the governments prying eyes.

From building legos to arguing over chess Levi loved being an uncle. We have fond memories of him teaching Connor how to layer spray paint and showing Kayden the art of stone skipping. While he only had a few short months with the newest edition, Ember, his adoration of her was obvious from the moment he heard she was coming.

In 2021 his son Atlas was born. He took Atlas into his care full time in the fall of 2024. They were inseparable, making many memories in their short time together. Every night they would curl up in bed, read a bedtime story and share their thoughts till they fell asleep mid sentence. Levi definitely passed on his inquisitive nature, eye for detail and perceptive view of the world to Atlas. From learning to change a tire, fixing the lawnmower, how to fish, finding the perfect berries, how to build a bonfire, and camping - Levi wanted to make sure Atlas experienced it all.

The two spent many hours cooking, grilling, and smoking only the best cuts of meat. Levi lived to create interesting dishes of food with a variety of spices. He was never afraid of trying new things and was skilled at making sandwiches out of anything. If it didn’t taste great, he always seemed to know exactly what it needed; which was often more hot sauce. You knew that wherever Levi resided, there was a fridge full of hot sauce and every condiment you could think of. Unfortunately for us, he never learned the art of cleaning up as you go.

Levi passed on July 24th at the age of 38. He leaves a void that will be difficult to fill. If you were lucky, you saw the true Levi. The one who was kind-hearted, loved deeply, and who would go out of his way to help others. The last years of his life were hard as he struggled with his mental health and addiction.

However, even in the darkest of days it never took away his ability to love without boundaries. Levi was so much more than his illness. He was a son, a brother, a friend, a nephew, a cousin, an uncle, and perhaps his favourite title, dad.

Levi leaves to mourn his passing his son Atlas Sanderson and dog Mojo, parents Ivan and Anne Sanderson, sister Lacey Sanderson and her boys Kayden and Connor Kucheran; sister Layne Rorquist and her husband Clayton, their daughter Ember; Jodie Kucheran; Ava and Aubree Ward; numerous aunts and uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends; his work family, Maury Yablonski, Ohla Stratichuk, Natalia Federo, Nick McClung and Tyler Tolver and Atlas’ Daycare family.

Levi was funny about death. He was always adamant about remembering people as they were, not who they became in death. In his legacy, we ask you to advocate for improvements in mental health and addictions for our healthcare system, but most importantly, we ask you to remember him as he was.

Rest in peace Levi. It was one hell of a ride. We are so honored to have been part of it.

There will be no funeral service as per Levi’s wishes.

The family is asking as you remember your time with him to write down those memories and share them via email. Pictures are encouraged. They would like to create a memory book for his son Atlas. These can be sent to laynesanderson@hotmail.com.