Robert "Bob" Warren Sager

Bob Sager, 77, of Bemidji, MN died Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at his home.

Funeral services will be 2:00 p.m., Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at Olson-Schwartz Funeral Home, Bemidji. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service at the funeral home.

Robert Warren Sager was born January 11th 1944 in Rolla, ND to Alice and Warren Sager. Bob was the second child along side his four brother; Bill, Shorty, Darrel, and Craig.  Shortly their after the Sager’s moved to a small farm in Starkweather, ND where Bob spent most of his adolescent years. 

Bob graduated from Starkweather High School on a Friday, where he then quickly enlisted in the military, and left for basic training on that following Monday. Bob was stationed in Fort Campbell as a paratrooper serving in the 101st Airborne Army.

In 1964 Bob met the love of his life Mary Elizabeth Roach, just across the border in Springfield, TN.  As Mary wasn’t old enough to marry in the state of Tennessee, Bob and Mary drove to Virginia where they hoped to marry in a church but ended up meeting an ordained minister in a dry goods store where they married right there in that store.

Mary’s father wasn’t a fan of military men so Bob would sneak his visits to Mary each weekend at Mary’s sisters home, Anna and Leon Frazier. This went on for a little over a year before Bob was asked to reenlist in the military where he quickly decided to honorably be discharged to be with his wife and newborn daughter, Valerie Melinda Sager in 1965.

The Sager’s packed their things and moved to Columbus, IN where Bob and Mary’s second child Barry Lee Sager was born in 1966. During this time Bob took his family on many memorable camping trips.

In 1976 the Sager’s moved to Bemidji, MN. Bob dedicated his career to Potlatch as a maintenance operator for over 20 years.  In his spare time Bob enjoyed spending quality time with his kids where he built a rabbit barn that held 100 rabbits for Barry who was an avid 4H member.

As the years went by Bob gained the name, “Gramps” as his daughter Valerie and Darin Burnham had Josh, Justin, and Jake.  Bob made sure to include the boys whenever their was the opportunity to play, learn, and adventure together.

In the early 90s, Bob and Mary started their own business called “Mary’s Variety Store” where they made memories traveling as far as Nevada, Florida, and Kansas City to build their variety of goods and trinkets to sell, usually selling items that were the new up and coming items that the grandkids suggested.  When his grandkids were playing in the back of the store, Gramps would round up old cardboard boxes for the boys to build and make forts out of when they would come after school.

Bob’s work ethic made it hard for him to ever fully retire. After Potlatch he worked for the oil fields in North Dakota, he worked for various contractors in the Bemidji area, and ended his hardworking career in building maintenance at Bemidji MNdot. While he worked at MNdot he enjoyed coming home and sharing work stories with family and his grandson Justin and son-in-law Darin, who he was also fortunate to call his co-workers. Bob always spoke highly of his son-in-law Darin both at work and home where they often worked together on the crazy projects Valerie had planned.

Bobs giving heart always sent him over to his families houses to help with gardening where he would plant trees and transplant anything from his own garden into someone else’s. He landscaped an entire pond with his daughter, he used his self taught carpentry skills to build a fish house and hunting shack with Justin, a greenhouse and remodel a house with Josh, and build a pallet shed and change flooring with Jake; he was always there when anyone needed help. Gramps always enjoyed spending quality time fishing and hunting with his grandsons and sneaking some candy to his great grandchildren from his never ending jar, in which he was always quick to tell others how proud he was of them.

Bob spent his last day going out for breakfast with Mary, helping his daughter with a project and taking his daily nap. Bob passed away peacefully during his daily nap and is proceeded in death by his parents Alice and Warren Sager and his son Barry.

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