Posted: 9:22 AM - Aug 14, 2007
Paid obituary appeared in The Winchester Star dated Tuesday 14 Aug 2007.
By Ed Farrell
The Winchester Star (Tuesday 14 August 2007)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephens City -- In the final meeting of his 12-year career on the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Robert M. Sager offered an apology.
"I just wanted to make our community a better place to live," read an account the next day in The Winchester Star.
"For those who say I offended them, I offer my apologies. For those who say I did not represent them, I offer my apologies."
Sager, 72, died on Sunday in the Winchester Medical Center. He was a retired Air Force veteran with 22 years of service and served as a Frederick County deputy sheriff for 25 years. He was also a retired guard with the Virginia Department of Corrections, a former police officer, and an administrator in Middletown.
His friends emphasized on Monday that Sager never had a need to apologize about his long career in public service.
"Bob was just a top-flight citizen," said James L. Longerbeam, who served two terms alongside Sager on the board.
A Republican, Longerbeam said he never had any problems working with Sager, a staunch Democrat who was defeated in a bid for a fourth Opequon District term, in which he ran as an independent.
"We never let [political differences] get in the way of making the right decision," Longerbeam said. "Bob was one of the nice guys."
Margaret B. Douglas, who stepped down from office on the same night as Sager, said her longtime friend was "just exceptionally dedicated. Bob was such a loyal person, so likeable and so friendly. He would always go the second mile."
Many spoke of Sager's love for his family -- his wife Deanna, the couple's six children, and three adopted children.
"I've known Bob for 60 years," said Richard G. Dick, a former chairman of the Board of Supervisors. "Bob was very dedicated, very sincere and very conscientious. He served the citizens of Frederick County very well, and our condolences go out to Deanna and his family."
Bill M. Ewing, the current Opequon supervisor and the man who defeated Sager in his bid for a fourth term, remembered his former opponent as "a good friend."
"Yes, we ran against each other, but we were still good friends," he said. "We just had different thoughts on government issues.
"But Bob not only served Frederick County, but he worked hard serving the county's children as well," said Ewing, a Republican.
Cynthia Rawlinson, a former chairman of CLEAN Inc., served on that agency's board of directors at the same time Sager was its treasurer. (Community and Law Enforcement Against Narcotics Inc. was founded in 1986 to provide leadership through education, advocacy, and networking for a safe, healthy, drug-free community.)
"I can tell you Bob was a very friendly gentleman," she said. "He was very family-oriented and was definitely dedicated to impacting the lives of teens.
"Bob was driven to help address youth with at-risk behaviors, and thatÂ’s why he did such a fine job with CLEAN. I was sorry to see him leave the board," Rawlinson said.
Sager also worked with the Shelter for Abused Women in Winchester and the Winchester-Frederick County Child Abuse council.
Frederick County Administrator John R. Riley Jr. recalled Sager as "a very effective supervisor" and "a very compassionate person."
His dedication, particularly to social services -- "those services to constituents who sometimes fell through the cracks" -- was remarkable, Riley said.
"Like every elected official I've worked with, Bob's ultimate goal was to please everyone," he said, "which is always an admirable task. But there are always those tough decisions. Bob put his heart and soul into that effort."
Lynda J. Tyler, who served one term with Sager as the Stonewall District representative, called Sager "an epitome of constituent service -- he understood what it meant to those whom he served. He held the public trust."
Tyler said Sager's constituents knew "they could count on him to make the hard decisions. He was an incredible public servant."
Even more, however, Tyler praised Sager as "just a great human being. [He] was just incredible. His public service and helping the human race was what Bob was best at. I loved Bob, I loved his service, and I loved his family. I'm going to miss him, just knowing Bob not on this earth anymore."
Omps Funeral Home Amherst Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
-- Contact Ed Farrell at efarrell@winchesterstar.com
Ex-Frederick Supervisor Sager dies
By Ed Farrell
The Winchester Star (Tuesday 14 August 2007)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephens City -- In the final meeting of his 12-year career on the Frederick County Board of Supervisors, Robert M. Sager offered an apology.
"I just wanted to make our community a better place to live," read an account the next day in The Winchester Star.
"For those who say I offended them, I offer my apologies. For those who say I did not represent them, I offer my apologies."
Sager, 72, died on Sunday in the Winchester Medical Center. He was a retired Air Force veteran with 22 years of service and served as a Frederick County deputy sheriff for 25 years. He was also a retired guard with the Virginia Department of Corrections, a former police officer, and an administrator in Middletown.
His friends emphasized on Monday that Sager never had a need to apologize about his long career in public service.
"Bob was just a top-flight citizen," said James L. Longerbeam, who served two terms alongside Sager on the board.
A Republican, Longerbeam said he never had any problems working with Sager, a staunch Democrat who was defeated in a bid for a fourth Opequon District term, in which he ran as an independent.
"We never let [political differences] get in the way of making the right decision," Longerbeam said. "Bob was one of the nice guys."
Margaret B. Douglas, who stepped down from office on the same night as Sager, said her longtime friend was "just exceptionally dedicated. Bob was such a loyal person, so likeable and so friendly. He would always go the second mile."
Many spoke of Sager's love for his family -- his wife Deanna, the couple's six children, and three adopted children.
"I've known Bob for 60 years," said Richard G. Dick, a former chairman of the Board of Supervisors. "Bob was very dedicated, very sincere and very conscientious. He served the citizens of Frederick County very well, and our condolences go out to Deanna and his family."
Bill M. Ewing, the current Opequon supervisor and the man who defeated Sager in his bid for a fourth term, remembered his former opponent as "a good friend."
"Yes, we ran against each other, but we were still good friends," he said. "We just had different thoughts on government issues.
"But Bob not only served Frederick County, but he worked hard serving the county's children as well," said Ewing, a Republican.
Cynthia Rawlinson, a former chairman of CLEAN Inc., served on that agency's board of directors at the same time Sager was its treasurer. (Community and Law Enforcement Against Narcotics Inc. was founded in 1986 to provide leadership through education, advocacy, and networking for a safe, healthy, drug-free community.)
"I can tell you Bob was a very friendly gentleman," she said. "He was very family-oriented and was definitely dedicated to impacting the lives of teens.
"Bob was driven to help address youth with at-risk behaviors, and thatÂ’s why he did such a fine job with CLEAN. I was sorry to see him leave the board," Rawlinson said.
Sager also worked with the Shelter for Abused Women in Winchester and the Winchester-Frederick County Child Abuse council.
Frederick County Administrator John R. Riley Jr. recalled Sager as "a very effective supervisor" and "a very compassionate person."
His dedication, particularly to social services -- "those services to constituents who sometimes fell through the cracks" -- was remarkable, Riley said.
"Like every elected official I've worked with, Bob's ultimate goal was to please everyone," he said, "which is always an admirable task. But there are always those tough decisions. Bob put his heart and soul into that effort."
Lynda J. Tyler, who served one term with Sager as the Stonewall District representative, called Sager "an epitome of constituent service -- he understood what it meant to those whom he served. He held the public trust."
Tyler said Sager's constituents knew "they could count on him to make the hard decisions. He was an incredible public servant."
Even more, however, Tyler praised Sager as "just a great human being. [He] was just incredible. His public service and helping the human race was what Bob was best at. I loved Bob, I loved his service, and I loved his family. I'm going to miss him, just knowing Bob not on this earth anymore."
Omps Funeral Home Amherst Chapel is in charge of the arrangements.
-- Contact Ed Farrell at efarrell@winchesterstar.com