Obituary: Sanger, Rex Leo Jr.
Age 84
Surrounded by his children, we held on to him and each other as he passed from this world and into the arms of our Lord and our Mother who were both awaiting his arrival in heaven.
Dad was by no measure a young man, but he left us too soon as there was surely more laughs and adventures to be had.
Anyone who had the good fortune of knowing Rex Sanger will truly miss him and is certainly a better person for having known him.
Dad was born to Rex Leo Sr. and Martha Sanger in Spokane, Washington on October 21, 1928.
A true son of Spokane, Dad graduated from Rogers High School in 1947 and always considered the Lilac City his home.
After high school, Dad made his way into the Army and fought valiantly for our country in the Korean War.
Dad was not the type to talk war stories, but we do know he was wounded by enemy fire, that he narrowly escaped a certain death and that he was surely a guy you would want in your foxhole.
After the war, Rex had the very good fortune of being set-up on a blind date with a beautiful young woman from Minnesota, who eventually became his bride.
Mom and Dad were married in the spring of 1956 and were together until her passing last October.
Through fifty-six years, six children, twelve grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, Mom and Dad provided a life and love that have become the foundation for all who follow in their footsteps.
If you simply look at Dad’s life from the outside you will probably just see a work-a-day guy (Kaiser Aluminum for 38 years) who raised his family, retired and traveled around the country in an RV.
If you look closer, you see something much more profound, something much more special.
You see a man who adopted four children and who raised and loved them as if they were his own.
You see a man who couldn’t swim well, but who jumped into Newman Lake to save a slightly unaware son from drowning.
If you look closer, you will see a man who didn’t have a lot of money, but who made sure his family had everything that was needed.
The Sanger kids never had the best ski equipment, but it somehow seemed to get us down the hill faster than the kids who had all the fancy stuff and in the process we learned an excellent lesson about life.
If you look closer, you will see a man who put his children through private school while he went without.
You see a man who would pack the camper, load the boat and haul the entire brood up to Noisy Creek campground at Sullivan Lake (without complaint) simply so we could have a taste of “the good life”.
If you look closer you will see a man whom you could count on to walk through the door no more than 20 minutes after every shift.
When you see Rex Sanger, you see a man who knew how to smile even in the toughest of times, you see a man who truly understood the preciousness of life and you see a man who knew that love trumps all.
To truly see Rex Sanger is to see true greatness.
Dad, may you rest peacefully in the arms of the angels and by our deeds may we make you proud and honor the lessons you’ve taught us all.
A rosary will be held Thursday June 13th, 7:00pm at Heritage Funeral Home - 508 Government Way, Spokane WA.
A funeral mass will be held Friday June 14th, 10:30am at Our Lady of Guadalupe, 3914 N. Lidgerwood, with burial to follow at Greenwood Memorial Terrace.
Following the services, a celebration of Dad’s life will be held at 1:30pm at The Good Samaritan Community Center, E. 17121 8th Ave in Greenacres, WA.