John Jay Sauer

John Jay Sauer, 81, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin passed away peacefully surrounded by loved ones on September 27, 2023.

John was born on July 7, 1942, to John Jacob and (Deloris) Jeanne Sauer in Cuba City Wisconsin. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. John earned his Professional Engineer license while living in New York state.

He began his career working at John Deere in Dubuque, Iowa. Then went on to work as an engineer/manager in the fiberboard industry. His proudest professional accomplishment was helping to assemble and work with a team who built an MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) plant in El Dorado, Arkansas and started production on time.

John married Nadine Rood in June of 1966. Due to John’s career, they lived in many states including Iowa, New York, South Carolina, Wisconsin, Indiana, Arkansas and Maine before moving back to Oshkosh. While in Iowa and New York, John and Nadine expanded their family with the births of three children.

John loved to travel with his wife and has been to all 50 states as well as multiple countries. He particularly enjoyed national parks and historical sites. John was an avid softball, pickleball and volleyball player. He also loved following Badgers sports, especially hockey, and followed the Packers wherever he lived. John played cards weekly at the Oshkosh Senior Center. He was a lifetime member of the Knights of Columbus. John volunteered for 18 years with the AARP Tax Program, helping seniors with their taxes.

John was preceded in death by his parents John and Jeanne Sauer. John is survived by his wife of 57 years, Nadine Rood Sauer, and their three children Randall (Elizabeth) Sauer of St Louis, Susan (Marc) Montano of Oshkosh and Timothy (Kerry) Sauer of Oshkosh. He is also survived by six grandchildren, Hannah and Jacob Sauer, Matthew and Daniel Montano, and Reese and Remy Gardiner. John is also survived by a brother, Steve (Alice) Sauer of Prescott, AZ and a sister Gayle Richardson of Sarasota, FL.

Visitation will be held from 9:00AM until the time of the funeral mass at 11:00AM on Saturday, October 7 at St Raphael Church, 830 S Westhaven Drive, Oshkosh.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to an organization that supports some of John’s favorite activities and interests:

Coach Sauer Foundation (In honor of his cousin Jeff Sauer - funding disabled and sled hockey for the state of WI, and grants promoting hockey as a new experience)

Knights of Columbus Council 11305, Oshkosh

Oshkosh YMCA Membership for All program (providing financial assistance so that all can enjoy the YMCA).