John Philip Joseph Sauer

1957 - 2021

John Philip Joseph Sauer died in Rockingham Memorial Hospital in Harrisonburg, Virginia, at 3 p.m. on the Feast of All Saints, November 1, 2021. John was born into a military family on August 4,1957, in Kansas City, Missouri, and attended Catholic schools all over the world. He attended St. John Vianney High School Seminary in Richmond, Virginia, where he learned to love the ordered life of prayer. He then turned down a full scholarship to George Mason University in order to pursue his dream career in Major League Baseball and was later drafted by the Detroit Tigers.

John eventually went to trade school for auto mechanics, welding, and electrical work. He had a true gift for working with his hands, especially in the art of carpentry. He could fix anything, and if he couldn't find the parts he needed, he would build them. He was extremely gifted in music and art, with a particular talent for pencil drawings. He married his wife Cynthia in 1997, and they had four children: Christopher, Michael, Alexandra and Matthew. John and Cynthia home-schooled their four children and John shared his gifts with them-playing the guitar, drawing, repairing machines, as well as caring for the family pets and other farm animals. John suffered for many years from back pain and other ailments, but he learned to unite his sufferings with the sufferings of Christ for the sake of His Body, the Church (Colossians 1:24). He was greatly inspired by the example of John Downs, the quadriplegic who founded a Catholic lay apostolate dedicated to serving the Church and helping the faithful to find meaning in suffering. John Sauer supported his wife Cynthia in caring for John Downs in their home for twelve years, until John Downs' death in 2004.

John is survived by his wife Cynthia and their four children, as well as by his children Eric Sauer and Carol Klein, 11 grandchildren and 11 nieces and nephews. John also leaves behind his siblings: Therese Rose Shannon, Jacinta Black, Cecilia Sauer, and Joseph Sauer. He is preceded in death by his parents John and Joan Sauer, brothers James Sauer and Justin Sauer.

John's wake will take place at Maddox Funeral Home in Front Royal, Virginia, on Sunday, November 7, 11:30 to 4:00 p.m. with a Rosary at 3:00. A Requiem Mass will be offered for John at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, November 9, at St.Thomas Aquinas Seminary in Dillwyn, Virginia.

Arrangements are being handled by Maddox Funeral Home, Front Royal, Virginia.

Condolences may be sent to the family at www.maddoxfuneralhome.com