Farewell to a Beloved
American Mother - Leah Sauer
Leah
K. Sauer, a long time
resident of East County,
died on July 20, 2010 in
Portland. She was 91 years
of age.
Leah was born on September
16, 1918 in Saskatchewan,
Alberta, Canada and was the
daughter of Fred and Anna (Biesel)
Koch. At a young age she
moved with her family to
Salem, Oregon and later to
McMinnville, Oregon where
she graduated from
McMinnville High School in
1936.
After High School, she moved
to the Portland Area where
she met Albert Sauer. They
were married on August 15,
1942. They resided in East
County for over 50 years.
Leah worked for many years
as a secretary at Bonneville
Power. She also was the
Bookkeeper for their family
business, Bee Appliance that
was located in Portland.
Albert and Leah sold the
business and retired in
1981. Albert preceded Leah
in death in 1983.
She was a life time member
of the first Covenant Church
in Portland where she was a
Sunday school teacher and
very involved with the
Compassion Social Justice
Board. She also volunteered
her time with the American
Mother's Association, the
Seven Step Foundation at the
Oregon State Penitentiary
and the Belmont Drop-in
Center along with mentoring
to many individuals in the
Portland Area. She was also
awarded Oregon Mother of the
Year in 1970.
Leah had a great passion for
helping people. Her
Christian way of life
encouraged her to
concentrate on service to
people in need. She was a
crusader for community and
mental health and was a
believer in the restoration
of life. She saw the best in
people and helped them to
see the good in themselves,
encouraging them to change
their life's course to one
that was meaningful and
healthy.
Leah also enjoyed gardening
and cooking. Anyone that
came to visit was expected
to stay for dinner. Everyone
was welcome in her home. She
was loving, caring, non
judgmental and hospitable; a
true role model for her
children, grandchildren,
church family and friends.
She is survived by her son,
Rod (wife, Doris) Sauer of
Damascus, daughter, Roxanne
(Husband, Joe) Krause of
Happy Valley, sisters, Erica
Kaiser of Portland, Mary
Koch of McMinnville, Lydia
Zimmerman of Bakersfield,
California and Laura
Thompson of Kalama,
Washington and brothers,
Ezra Koch of McMinnville,
Fred Koch Jr. of McMinnville
and Paul Koch of Milwaukie
along with 6 grandchildren
and 4 great grandchildren.
Her husband, Albert,
daughters, Charlene Sauer
and Shelly Greene-Johnson
and sister, Martha Johnson
all preceded her in death. |
Evening of the Arts
Please
join us for the annual
Evening Of The Arts on
September 24th, 2010 at 7
pm. This will be held
at The Old Church, 1422 SW
11th Ave, Portland, OR on
the corner of Clay and 11th.
You
won't want to miss this
wonderfully uplifting event.
More
information to follow. |
