Kevin Lee Sanford

Retired Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Lee Sanford passed away at his home in Shreveport, Louisiana, on May 4, 2025, at the age of 72. Kevin was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, on May 8, 1952, to Helen and James Sanford. He grew up in numerous cities in the South and the Midwest before moving to Fayetteville, AR, in 1963. A 1970 graduate of Fayetteville High School, Kevin attended the University of Arkansas and received a scholarship through the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps. He met Valerie J. Hatfield during his senior year and proposed on their fourth date. In May 1974, Kevin graduated with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in History and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army as an armor officer. Kevin and Valerie were married at her parents’ home in Fort Smith, AR, on May 19, 1974.

Kevin spent the next twenty-four years in the US Army before retiring on June 1, 1998. Kevin and his family were stationed in Kentucky, Germany, Kansas, Arkansas, Maryland, Louisiana, and Missouri during his career. Following his retirement, LTC Sanford moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, and taught Junior ROTC at Northwood High School and Woodlawn High School. After twenty years of service to the student cadets of Caddo Parish Schools, he retired on October 1, 2018.

Kevin Sanford embodied the phrase “God, Country, Family.” He was an avid history buff, kept up with politics and the issues of the day, and played a decent game of chess. He spent his retirement years having breakfast or lunch with his fellow retired JROTC cadre. He was also a member of the Senior Civil Air Patrol Shreveport Squadron. Kevin made memories with his family on numerous trips to battlefields, cemeteries, and national parks over the years. He loved a good story and enjoyed watching westerns, war movies, and anything where good triumphed over evil.

Kevin is survived by his wife of 50 years, Valerie Jean (Hatfield) Sanford. He leaves behind his daughter, Valerie (Patrick) Mullane of Rudy, AR; his grandson, Collin Jakob Manley of Fayetteville, AR, and his mother, Helen Imogene (Tollett) Sanford of Farmington, AR. He was preceded in death by his father, James Joseph Sanford.

Visitation will be held Saturday, May 10, 2025, at 10 a.m. – Noon at Kilpatrick’s Rose-Neath Funeral Home in Bossier City, LA. Funeral services with full military honors will be held May 15, 2025, at 10 a.m. at Moore’s Chapel Funeral Home in Fayetteville, AR. Private interment will be at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Expressions of sympathy and memorial donations to pancan.org are equally welcome.