Irene Sauer

Irene Sauer of Orrs Mills Road, Salisbury Mills, famous for baking lemon meringue pies, coordinating her church chicken barbecue and preparing hundreds of people’s income taxes, was welcomed into her heavenly home on Monday, February 5. She was 95 years old.

Her inspiring faith in God supported her family during her struggle from a fall and then the flu. She is at peace in the presence of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

The daughter of the late John Gilbert and Sarah (Jones) Earl was born on July 9, 1922, in Woodbury Falls. Her husband, Harry Sauer, preceded her in death.

They were blessed with a family of five children, including: Nancy Linger of Coxsackie, NY, Harry Sauer and his wife, Carole, of New Windsor, NY, Thomas Sauer and his wife, Patricia, of Campbell Hall, NY, Elaine Siddons and her husband, Bradley, of Lewistown, PA, and Wayne Sauer and his wife, Marciann, of Salt Point, NY.

She also is survived by 13 grandchildren, Patrick Linger, Christopher Linger, Rebecca Sauer, Kelly Davis, Amy Sauer, Matthew Sauer, Julianne Johnson, Kenneth Sauer, Leah Riden, Sarah Siddons, Chelsea Siddons, Molly Sauer and Carrie Sauer; and 8 great-grandchildren, Kathryn, MaKayla and Keily Linger, Amanda and William Linger, Ellie and Jenna Davis, and Abigail Siddons; and numerous nieces and nephews. She loved her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and loved to hear news of all their accomplishments.

Cornelia Irene was the last of her immediate family of 10 children, having been predeceased by a brother, Walter Earl, and 8 sisters, Lucile Green, Catherine Dunn, Myrtle Sheehan, Margery Kurtz, Alice Earl, Georgetta Hess, Marian Ware and Edith Dugan.

Surely Irene was greeted by our Almighty God with these words from Matthew 25:23: “Well done, good and faithful servant … Come and share your Master’s happiness!”

Irene has always shared her faith. An active member of the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church for 70 years, she served as a Deacon and an Elder, as well as Clerk of Session for many years.

But it might be the annual chicken barbecue she coordinated or the 20+ lemon meringue pies she would bake for the fair’s baked goods table for which she might be remembered the most. In fact, she was always baking lemon meringue pies for the church or the fire company or for people celebrating birthdays or simply in need of a little encouragement.

Sharing her God-given talents was what she did best. In fact, as a way to put the Parable of the Talents from Matthew 25 into practice one time, $5 bills were distributed to church families. Irene spent her $5 on supplies for lemon meringue pies. Then she sold the pies. She didn’t stop there. She used the money she made to purchase more supplies for more pies, and she didn’t stop there …

However, to the Bible School children, she was the “Rice Krispies treat lady.”

Irene loved to sing old hymns and in her final days recognized “How Great Thou Art” – one of her favorites – playing on a music box shaped like Hope Chapel. She named that tune and started to sing along – out of tune as always. Another favorite was “I Love To Tell the Story.” That might be why one of her greatest joys was serving as Sunday School superintendent at Hope Chapel in Salisbury Mills for nearly 35 years, when the mill houses were filled with families. She wanted to be sure they knew all about Jesus and His love.

She began teaching Sunday School at the young age of 15 at Goodwill Presbyterian Church near Montgomery. She never learned to swim, but she told the story of how her Sunday School students saved her from drowning one time. God had a plan for her that would span 80 more years of her life.

She continued to serve the Lord when circumstances thrust her younger siblings into her care.

She graduated from Walden High School and Spencerian Business School in Newburgh, and worked as a bookkeeper for Shapiro Sporting Goods and veterinarian Dr. A. J. Allott from 1940 until her marriage to Harry Sauer on August 24, 1946.

She then started to assist mill families with their income taxes. She did income taxes in her home for decades, charging only a few dollars or nothing at all. She also worked for H & R Block and as a volunteer for the Office of the Aging, providing free income tax preparations for senior citizens.

A need for affordable housing for senior citizens provided another volunteer opportunity for Irene. She served as treasurer and on the Board of Directors of HUB of Washingtonville, and was proud of the 100+ apartments constructed at Rocky Knoll and Rocky Point. One of the buildings was named the Sauer Bldg. in her honor.

Early in her children’s lives, she volunteered with the Girl Scouts and Washingtonville Little League. She was president of the George Washington PTA and was the first president of the Parent Teacher Student Association in Washingtonville. She was an active fund-raiser for the PTSA Health Fund through the Country Store Thrift Shop, continuing to serve on the Board of Directors and as a sales clerk for many decades.

Irene was a member of the Salisbury Mills Fire Company Ladies Auxiliary since 1951. She, too, made the ultimate sacrifice on March 20, 1985, when her husband, Harry, suffered a heart attack while fighting a fire and became the only firefighter in the history of the Salisbury Mills Fire Company to lose his life in the line of duty. She couldn’t have been prouder when he was recognized by the fire company and National Fallen Firefighters Foundation in Emmettsburg, MD.

They did so many things together. Harry hailed from Brooklyn, and Irene once shared these thoughts: “He taught me to believe folks from the city have a big adjustment to make when coming here. In the city, it is the survival of the fittest. Here it is caring and sharing. We can adjust.” Now they are together again.

A celebration of Irene’s life will take place on Sunday, July 8, at Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, Route 94, New Windsor, followed by the interment of her cremains with her husband in the church cemetery. A reception for family and friends will follow at the Salisbury Mills firehouse, with plenty of lemon meringue pie for all.

Arrangements are under the direction of the David T. Ferguson Funeral Home, Washingtonville. Memorial contributions may be made to Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 250, Salisbury Mills, NY 12577.