Charles E. Sauer

Charles (Chuck) E. Sauer, age 89, passed away Wednesday, November 16 at Centralia Manor. Charles was born and raised in Belleville, Illinois, the son of Otto Sauer and Emily (Westwood) Sauer. He married Aurelia Estella Hilpert on October 8, 1949. They lived, worked, and raised their family in Highland, Illinois for 60 years until moving to Centralia to be near their son. He is survived by his wife Aurelia, his son David Sauer and wife Sheri of Centralia, and his daughter Diane Sauer and husband Kenneth Noll of Storrs ,Connecticut. He is also survived by five grandchildren: Colin D. Sauer, MD of Peoria, Rachel Sauer of Washington DC, , Kimberly (Sauer) Romero and her husband Tim of St. Charles, Missouri, Shannon Noll of Chicago, and Erika Noll of Riverside, California. His first great-grandchild, Gabriel Alexander Romero, was born November 6, 2016. He had numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and four sisters. Chuck was a veteran of WWII and the Korean Conflict. In 1945 and 1946 he was stationed in Beijing, China with the Marine 5th Division. He served as a projectionist, providing entertainment to top brass, dignitaries (including Chiang Kai-shek), troops, and even Chinese orphan children. For more than 50 years he worked as a corrugated packaging designer, Charles was skilled at his profession. He designed the winning boat in the Balloonfest cardboard boat race for five years. He had a passion for gardening, especially trees and bushes. A baobab tree he started is now in the LSU Hilltop Arboretum. He had a great sense of humor and a love of life. He was a Scoutmaster, built corrugated toys, houses and furniture, and was a great source of entertainment for children and grandchildren. Per his request cremation rights will be accorded and a family memorial will be held at a later date. Online condolences may be made to the family be visiting www.sutherlandfuneralhome.com. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Centralia Cultural Society or Centralia Humane Society and will be accepted by the Sutherland - Garnier Funeral Home in Centralia. In the alternative, plant a tree and think of him.

Charles E. Sauer

November 6, 2016 - November 16, 2016