Married Della Soverns June 1899.
Married Dorothy E. Theis 12/23/1935 in Chicago.
Peoria Ill, Oct. 31 --Royal Woodson Sanders, 63, father of Irene Delroy, stage and screen actress, died at St. Francis hospital here today. He had been ill two months. Miss Delroy, wife of William L. Austin. Jr., Philadelphia real estate man and Mrs. Sanders were at the bedside when Sanders died.
--The Jacksonville Daily Journal, Jacksonville Illinois, Sunday November 1 1936 – Page 9.
Royal Sanders was the son of James T. and Susan Pike Sanders and the father of the actress Irene Delroy. Born on July 21, 1900 in Bloomington, Illinois as Josephine Lucille Sanders, she used the first three letters of her father and mother’s names to form her stage name of Delroy.
At the turn of the century, Royal Sanders taught mathematics, civics, and commercial law at Bloomington High School. Sometime in the early 1900s the family moved to Minneapolis, MN. where on May 31, 1909 their young son Lindley died of scarlet fever. Sometime after that the family returned to Bloomington, where "Joey" attended Bloomington High school for two years and before transferring to University high at Normal. Joey was a serious student of ballet seriously, securing a spot in the Chicago Opera Ballet in circa 1917-1919. Her parents, initially reluctant to let her seek a career in show business,struck a compromise whereby she would spend a year on the stage and then return to school. However one year on the New York stage rendered that agreement moot, as her performance as the heroine in Raymond Hitchcock's "Hitchy Koo in 1923" was met with rave reviews and she signed a four year contract to appear in the "Greenwich Village Follies."
During Irene's career Royal Sanders lived in Peoria, IL, and Della Sanders traveled with Irene. With Royal and Della being separated for long periods of time, it was difficult for them to maintain a family life, and they both experienced periods of depression. Royal spent much of his time traveling around Illinois solicitng business as he could, so as to have enough money to support himself and also send money East to support Della and Josephine. Royal had strict guidelines on how he felt money should be spent and who Josephine should be surrounding herself with. Much of the conflict between Royal and Della is due to the people Josephine surrounded herself with and her spending habits. Unfortunately, the marriage of Royal and Della would be filled with disagreements and feelings of distrust until Della's death on February 5, 1933. Royal married a second time, to Dorothy E. Theis on December 23, 1935 and died just short of a year later.
Sources: the Josephine Sanders (Irene Delroy) Books and Papers Collection, McLean County Museum of History,Bloomington, Illinois; Delroy Hit In Musicals Called Most Photographed U. S. Woman
Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Sunday, February 13, 1949, Page 18;Irene Delroy Is Interviewed,Reporter Visits Backstage at Apollo Theatre Chicago During "Greenwich Village Follies, Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Saturday Morning, December 11, 1926 Page Two B
Married Dorothy E. Theis 12/23/1935 in Chicago.
Peoria Ill, Oct. 31 --Royal Woodson Sanders, 63, father of Irene Delroy, stage and screen actress, died at St. Francis hospital here today. He had been ill two months. Miss Delroy, wife of William L. Austin. Jr., Philadelphia real estate man and Mrs. Sanders were at the bedside when Sanders died.
--The Jacksonville Daily Journal, Jacksonville Illinois, Sunday November 1 1936 – Page 9.
Royal Sanders was the son of James T. and Susan Pike Sanders and the father of the actress Irene Delroy. Born on July 21, 1900 in Bloomington, Illinois as Josephine Lucille Sanders, she used the first three letters of her father and mother’s names to form her stage name of Delroy.
At the turn of the century, Royal Sanders taught mathematics, civics, and commercial law at Bloomington High School. Sometime in the early 1900s the family moved to Minneapolis, MN. where on May 31, 1909 their young son Lindley died of scarlet fever. Sometime after that the family returned to Bloomington, where "Joey" attended Bloomington High school for two years and before transferring to University high at Normal. Joey was a serious student of ballet seriously, securing a spot in the Chicago Opera Ballet in circa 1917-1919. Her parents, initially reluctant to let her seek a career in show business,struck a compromise whereby she would spend a year on the stage and then return to school. However one year on the New York stage rendered that agreement moot, as her performance as the heroine in Raymond Hitchcock's "Hitchy Koo in 1923" was met with rave reviews and she signed a four year contract to appear in the "Greenwich Village Follies."
During Irene's career Royal Sanders lived in Peoria, IL, and Della Sanders traveled with Irene. With Royal and Della being separated for long periods of time, it was difficult for them to maintain a family life, and they both experienced periods of depression. Royal spent much of his time traveling around Illinois solicitng business as he could, so as to have enough money to support himself and also send money East to support Della and Josephine. Royal had strict guidelines on how he felt money should be spent and who Josephine should be surrounding herself with. Much of the conflict between Royal and Della is due to the people Josephine surrounded herself with and her spending habits. Unfortunately, the marriage of Royal and Della would be filled with disagreements and feelings of distrust until Della's death on February 5, 1933. Royal married a second time, to Dorothy E. Theis on December 23, 1935 and died just short of a year later.
Sources: the Josephine Sanders (Irene Delroy) Books and Papers Collection, McLean County Museum of History,Bloomington, Illinois; Delroy Hit In Musicals Called Most Photographed U. S. Woman
Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Sunday, February 13, 1949, Page 18;Irene Delroy Is Interviewed,Reporter Visits Backstage at Apollo Theatre Chicago During "Greenwich Village Follies, Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Saturday Morning, December 11, 1926 Page Two B
Married Della Soverns June 1899.
Married Dorothy E. Theis 12/23/1935 in Chicago.
Peoria Ill, Oct. 31 --Royal Woodson Sanders, 63, father of Irene Delroy, stage and screen actress, died at St. Francis hospital here today. He had been ill two months. Miss Delroy, wife of William L. Austin. Jr., Philadelphia real estate man and Mrs. Sanders were at the bedside when Sanders died.
--The Jacksonville Daily Journal, Jacksonville Illinois, Sunday November 1 1936 – Page 9.
Royal Sanders was the son of James T. and Susan Pike Sanders and the father of the actress Irene Delroy. Born on July 21, 1900 in Bloomington, Illinois as Josephine Lucille Sanders, she used the first three letters of her father and mother’s names to form her stage name of Delroy.
At the turn of the century, Royal Sanders taught mathematics, civics, and commercial law at Bloomington High School. Sometime in the early 1900s the family moved to Minneapolis, MN. where on May 31, 1909 their young son Lindley died of scarlet fever. Sometime after that the family returned to Bloomington, where "Joey" attended Bloomington High school for two years and before transferring to University high at Normal. Joey was a serious student of ballet seriously, securing a spot in the Chicago Opera Ballet in circa 1917-1919. Her parents, initially reluctant to let her seek a career in show business,struck a compromise whereby she would spend a year on the stage and then return to school. However one year on the New York stage rendered that agreement moot, as her performance as the heroine in Raymond Hitchcock's "Hitchy Koo in 1923" was met with rave reviews and she signed a four year contract to appear in the "Greenwich Village Follies."
During Irene's career Royal Sanders lived in Peoria, IL, and Della Sanders traveled with Irene. With Royal and Della being separated for long periods of time, it was difficult for them to maintain a family life, and they both experienced periods of depression. Royal spent much of his time traveling around Illinois solicitng business as he could, so as to have enough money to support himself and also send money East to support Della and Josephine. Royal had strict guidelines on how he felt money should be spent and who Josephine should be surrounding herself with. Much of the conflict between Royal and Della is due to the people Josephine surrounded herself with and her spending habits. Unfortunately, the marriage of Royal and Della would be filled with disagreements and feelings of distrust until Della's death on February 5, 1933. Royal married a second time, to Dorothy E. Theis on December 23, 1935 and died just short of a year later.
Sources: the Josephine Sanders (Irene Delroy) Books and Papers Collection, McLean County Museum of History,Bloomington, Illinois; Delroy Hit In Musicals Called Most Photographed U. S. Woman
Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Sunday, February 13, 1949, Page 18;Irene Delroy Is Interviewed,Reporter Visits Backstage at Apollo Theatre Chicago During "Greenwich Village Follies, Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Saturday Morning, December 11, 1926 Page Two B
Married Dorothy E. Theis 12/23/1935 in Chicago.
Peoria Ill, Oct. 31 --Royal Woodson Sanders, 63, father of Irene Delroy, stage and screen actress, died at St. Francis hospital here today. He had been ill two months. Miss Delroy, wife of William L. Austin. Jr., Philadelphia real estate man and Mrs. Sanders were at the bedside when Sanders died.
--The Jacksonville Daily Journal, Jacksonville Illinois, Sunday November 1 1936 – Page 9.
Royal Sanders was the son of James T. and Susan Pike Sanders and the father of the actress Irene Delroy. Born on July 21, 1900 in Bloomington, Illinois as Josephine Lucille Sanders, she used the first three letters of her father and mother’s names to form her stage name of Delroy.
At the turn of the century, Royal Sanders taught mathematics, civics, and commercial law at Bloomington High School. Sometime in the early 1900s the family moved to Minneapolis, MN. where on May 31, 1909 their young son Lindley died of scarlet fever. Sometime after that the family returned to Bloomington, where "Joey" attended Bloomington High school for two years and before transferring to University high at Normal. Joey was a serious student of ballet seriously, securing a spot in the Chicago Opera Ballet in circa 1917-1919. Her parents, initially reluctant to let her seek a career in show business,struck a compromise whereby she would spend a year on the stage and then return to school. However one year on the New York stage rendered that agreement moot, as her performance as the heroine in Raymond Hitchcock's "Hitchy Koo in 1923" was met with rave reviews and she signed a four year contract to appear in the "Greenwich Village Follies."
During Irene's career Royal Sanders lived in Peoria, IL, and Della Sanders traveled with Irene. With Royal and Della being separated for long periods of time, it was difficult for them to maintain a family life, and they both experienced periods of depression. Royal spent much of his time traveling around Illinois solicitng business as he could, so as to have enough money to support himself and also send money East to support Della and Josephine. Royal had strict guidelines on how he felt money should be spent and who Josephine should be surrounding herself with. Much of the conflict between Royal and Della is due to the people Josephine surrounded herself with and her spending habits. Unfortunately, the marriage of Royal and Della would be filled with disagreements and feelings of distrust until Della's death on February 5, 1933. Royal married a second time, to Dorothy E. Theis on December 23, 1935 and died just short of a year later.
Sources: the Josephine Sanders (Irene Delroy) Books and Papers Collection, McLean County Museum of History,Bloomington, Illinois; Delroy Hit In Musicals Called Most Photographed U. S. Woman
Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Sunday, February 13, 1949, Page 18;Irene Delroy Is Interviewed,Reporter Visits Backstage at Apollo Theatre Chicago During "Greenwich Village Follies, Daily Pantagraph, Bloomington, IL., Saturday Morning, December 11, 1926 Page Two B
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