John LeRoy Sager was born on Friday, 23 November 1934, to the late LeRoy Connell (b. Schwertfager) Sager and Ida Helen Fulkersin in the family home in Wyoming County, Pennsylvania, with his 6 year old brother Jay and a neighbor girl watching from outside through the window.
His father’s job with General Electric kept the family on the move until his mother put her foot down, and the family settled in Atlanta, Georgia. Soon John and his brother were enrolled in Dasher Bible School, a boarding school in Valdosta, Georgia, so Helen could travel with Roy to his various job sites. John was later enrolled at Gordon Military College in Barnesville, Georgia.
John worked as a Mill Wright Apprentice for General Electric in Atlanta for about a year before enlisting in the Army in January 1953. He attended Basic Training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, and spent some time at Fort Bragg, North Carolina before shipping out to Japan where he served during the Korean War.
After his discharge from the Army in January of 1956, John went to work for the City of Atlanta Streets Department as a truck driver. He then learned to operate Heavy Equipment, and moved to the Sewer Department. He also became an explosives expert with the city. He was a crew supervisor when he retired at 35 years service.
During this time, John learned Jujitsu from JC Lindsay, earning his 2nd degree Black Belt, and became an instructor at the Decatur YMCA. It was in his capacity as an instructor, teaching Women’s Self Defense, that he met his future wife, Meridyth Ann Hanson. They married on 15 April 1967 in Decatur, Georgia.
John joined the Masonic Order in 1966, and quickly attained his 32nd degree. He was an active member of the Masons for 58 years, and of his Lodge until it disbanded a few years ago. He served in all the chairs, including two terms as Master of the Lodge, and served as Tyler for a number of years. He was also a member of the Scottish Rite, York Rite and Yaarab Shrine.
Several years before retiring from the City, John took a second job as a Security Guard with the Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium. He LOVED this job! He worked all the events there, Braves Baseball, Falcons Football, Motor cross, Concerts – if it happened at the Stadium, he worked it. He especially took pride in scoring higher on their annual physical fitness tests than all the younger security guards.
A few months after retiring from both the City of Atlanta and the Stadium, John discovered that retirement was a bit boring, so he and Meridyth both found work at DDA (Directory Distributor’s Association), where John, with his many years of navigating around Atlanta’s intricate backroads, handled bulk deliveries, special deliveries involving hard-to-find addresses or rush orders, and other difficult cases.
Meridyth often referred to John as a “Jack of all trades, master of none”, but it’s probably fair to say he did master any number of valuable skills.
Over the years, John has been known for many things: master craftsman, able to create beautiful pieces from raw wood; certified in scuba and deep sea diving; avid marksman, earning a trophy once at a shooting competition; an aficionado of peppers – the hotter the better! – and frequently coming home from work with a paper sack of peppers someone promised he couldn’t handle (he never admitted defeat, but there was just one time I saw the sweat beads form on his face!); skilled knife-sharpener, always having the sharpest pocket knife, sometimes even bringing home other’s knives to sharpen; playing checkers; “The Candy Man”, handing out Jolly Ranchers everywhere he went (a bit ironic, after years of drilling into his children’s heads to never take candy from strangers!); breaking any lengthy silence by singing Hank Williams’ Jambalaya (or sometimes The Worm Song).
But above all, John was friendly and outgoing, and could strike up a conversation with just about anyone. He had an amazing ability to read people and size them up, although he seldom shared his insights without good reason. He was willing to do whatever he could for anyone who needed help.
John coped with Alzheimer’s disease, most noticeably over the last several years, but declined more rapidly after the Covid Pandemic began. He had watched both his parents and brother decline with Alzheimer’s, and knew what was in store for him. In the earlier stages, he was often aware of when he’d had an episode, and worked diligently to combat his symptoms. While living in Memory Care, he was known to be friendly and gregarious, walking around the facility, visiting staff and other patients. As of last fall he quit walking, and rarely spoke anymore.
John passed away in the first hour of Sunday morning, 14 July 2024, at The Pearl of Dallas Memory Care in Paulding County, Georgia, only 8 months into his 90th year.
Surviving is wife, Meridyth Ann Hanson Sager, daughter Phoebe L. Landfried, and son, John Lyndon Sager (Cindy), two grandchildren, Courtney Lyn Spruill and Autumn Lyn Sager, and four great-grandchildren Sophia Renee, Serena Marie, Shaniya Lena, and Sasha Elise, as well as his niece and three nephews, MariHelen Bailey, Mike, Bill, and Terry Sager, and their children and grandchildren.
Services will be held on Friday, 19 July 2024, at Floral Hills Funeral Home, with the viewing from noon-2pm, Chapel at 2pm, and entombment at Floral Hills Cemetery at 3pm. The address for the funeral home is 3150 Lawrenceville Hwy Tucker Georgia 30084.
Should anyone wish to make a memorial donation in John’s honor, his favorite charity was the Masonic Children’s Home in Macon, Georgia (https://glofga.org/masonic-childrens-home/); or to Alzheimer’s research.
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