Hank C. Sauer

Hank C. Sauer passed on Nov. 17, 2008, of pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his mother, Helen, sisters Susan Thurston and Carol McNellis, and brother Karl. His father, Charles, passed in 2006. Hank was born in Denver, Colorado on June 29, 1957 and grew up in Denver. He was active in the Boy Scouts (Eagle Scout), and he graduated from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1976. Hank worked as an electrician for twelve years at the Henderson mill. He also worked at Kinder Hut in Breckenridge as an electrician, handyman, and other things for many years. Hank was an avid skier and mountain biker and enjoyed most water sports, whether frozen or not. He was involved with the BOEC program and was a former Elk member. Son: As Hank's parents aged and his dad drifted into and through Alzheimer's, he was the closest sibling and provided the bulk of the emotional support, as well as doing jobs in and around the family home. Brother: Hank was the central clearinghouse for information about other members of the family. As the family matured and spread out to California and Louisiana, Hank was the primary line of communication between the family members. Through his wide network of friends, he also kept up with a large number of old neighborhood and school friends that the rest of the family might have lost track of years ago without him. Uncle: Hank never had any children of his own, but he enjoyed kids and often entertained his nieces and nephews, taking them fishing and skiing. Friend: Hank enjoyed people and had lots of friends. He had the ability to sit down with a group of strangers and engage all of them in conversations that often develop into friendships. Hank had a lot of friends, many of whom we have heard from. Family services were held on Dillon Reservoir in December. A public gathering for friends will be held in Hank's memory at the top of the #1 lift (Alpine) at Copper Mountain Ski Area on Saturday, March 7th 2009 at 1:00. "Hank was a great friend."