He was warm and interested in other people’s stories and he will be missed.

Gary Sauer, the patriarch of the Sauer family and the co-founder and treasurer of the Sauer Family Foundation passed away on March 25th.  He and Pat Sauer started the foundation as a gift to each other on their 30th wedding anniversary.  They both loved children.  Gary felt strongly that he wanted to help children have safe, healthy families where they could grow and thrive.  He made a difference for children both through his personal giving and through the foundation. 

As a lifelong Catholic, Gary was passionate about making the Catholic Schools as strong as they could be.  He felt the character development that happens in those schools is important for children to grow to be adults that give back to their communities.  Gary went to Holy Rosary School in South Minneapolis and he credited his own Catholic education with teaching him compassion, responsibility and leadership skills.  He served on the board for Ascension Catholic School and Christo Rey High School. 

He was also a major funder for St. Joseph’s Home for Children, wanting children to be safe there.  He funded a gymnasium for St. Joe’s so the children could be active year-round.  Gary and Pat and their family and friends started volunteering there.  They sponsored and volunteered at events for holidays like the 4th of July picnic and Valentines Day dinners for the children.  Gary loved volunteering and this is where the idea of starting a foundation began to stir for Pat and Gary.

Within the foundation, Gary’s passion was about children and education and particularly learning to read well.  He understood that if an adult cannot read, it is a big barrier in their life.  This gave birth to our literacy work at the foundation which is helping spread the science of reading.  We extended that work to the identification of children with dyslexia across the state. 

Gary also felt that children living in a state with 10,000+ lakes should know how to swim. Gary and his siblings never learned to swim and that was a regret for him as he got older. This passion was the impetus for the Sauer Family Foundation gift for the completion of V3 Sports in North Minneapolis where children can learn to swim in a beautiful pool.

In the foundation office, we will miss Gary’s smile, his caring heart, and his sense of humor.  He could always make us laugh and asked about our families and our lives outside of the foundation.  He made sure to tell us how much he appreciated our work.  He passed his values and generosity to his children and grandchildren.  And for those of us who have worked for the family, he taught us so much about how to be a leader that cares about people.

https://www.ohalloranmurphy.com/obituary/Gary-Sauer