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It is with
great regret and sorrow that I must notify you of the death of our Classmate,
Lee Sager, on 16 April 2020 in Laughlin, NV.
Lee is
survived by his wife, Judy; his sons, Lee III, Joe (USMA '89), and Anson; his
daughters, Julie Giordano and Rory Sager; and nine grandchildren.
Funeral plans
are pending.
Condolences
may be sent to Judy at 3867 Desert Marina Drive, Apt 247, Laughlin,
NV 89029-0338.
Donations in
Lee's memory may be sent to Shriners Hospitals for Children, Attn: Office of
Development, 2900 N. Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607.
Well done,
Lee. Be thou at peace.
Lee Hugo Sager, Jr. grew up in
East Orange NJ. He was the eldest of the four children (Lee Jr., Grant, Roger,
& Lane) of Lee H. Sr. and Mary Tanzola Sager. Lee's father owned the
1056 Inn, a bar/restaurant in Irvington, NJ. There, and at East Orange High
School, in the hectic, lively Metropolitan New York area, Lee Jr. began what
became a life-long passion for competition, athletics, and friendships. Lee
excelled in sports, mainly soccer, tennis, and very especially basketball ,where
he served as high school team captain, scored over 1000 points, and, as a
senior in1957, was selected as first team All American by the Associated Press.
He was also recently elected to the East Orange High School Hall of Fame. His
acclaim in basketball, was noteworthy as he was heavily and actively recruited
by the nation's leading college basketball programs. While Lee wanted to
compete at the highest level, he was strongly influenced by his dad and elected
to accept an offer of appointment to West Point. To his dad, and eventually to
Lee too, West Point exemplified patriotism, service, and the development of the
kind of character that would under-gird the life of a successful, admirable
person.
At West Point Lee lettered every year in basketball and tennis. He was
elected captain of the basketball team and led the team, for the first time, to
a national post season tournament. In tennis, he and his partner (Robert Chelberg) were the top doubles team every year. Lee endured academics where his
writing and mathematics talent, and his innate ability to solve problems, served
well enough for a successful outcome.
After graduation and a commission in the
Infantry, Lee, hobbling with a broken leg and ankle, persevered through the
ardors of the training and earned a Ranger tab, to the amazement and admiration
of his peers. He then reported to Fort Devens MA where he served as a platoon
leader and met Patricia Caufield. Lee and Pat were married and left the Army.
In 1964 Lee became an admired and successful basketball coach at Tulsa
University. However, after a year in Oklahoma, the rural environment lost
its enchantment, and Lee turned to sales and a move back to New Jersey.
During their marriage, Lee and Pat had five children, Lee III, Joe, Julie, Rory
and Anson.
Lee then found what became his lifelong vocation, the world of
finance. Initially achieving high success in large concerns, Lee and a partner
soon opened their own firm and acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange.
Lee eventually formed his own company, Lee H. Sager, Jr. Inc. , where he
enjoyed working with some former classmates. Lee was fortunate enough to
survive the World Trade Center bombing, although he lost many business friends
there.
After retiring from Wall Street, in 2004 Lee renewed a friendship
with Judy Boice, whom he had known back at Columbian Field (basketball court) in
East Orange. Judy and Lee married and moved to Laughlin NV where he enjoyed
year-round golf, a favorite interest forever, the casinos’ sports books, and
warm weather. During the years headquartered in Laughlin, Lee continued to
follow college and professional basketball, football, and baseball. As he
had since New Jersey days, Lee wagered on basketball, baseball and football
games, especially rooting for the NY Giants and the Mets. He would avidly
devour the daily sports pages of the newspaper and offer betting advice to
family and friends.
As a part time interest, Lee operated a bar/restaurant for
a few years in nearby Arizona, similar to what his father had in New Jersey back
some 60 years ago. Unfortunately, toward the end, the quality of Lee's health
diminished. During the last portion of his life, Lee was fortunate to have
Judy, the companionship of someone who shared his interests and his love. Lee
maintained his relationships with his family, and his friendships with
classmates, along with a host of individuals he encountered during his New York
days. He never lost his zest for competing in athletic events, now mostly
relegated only to golf. Lee always chose to compete on an even field, without
resorting to handicaps. He loved his kids, his wives, and many others in
his life. Lee demonstrated that love with constant loyalty, encouragement and
friendship. He will be missed.
Remembrances:
Class Memorial Pages\M-2 Lee Sager.pdf
Obituaries:
Assembly/Taps Memorial Article:
 LEE H. SAGER JR. 1961
Cullum No. 23795-1961 | April 16, 2020 | Died in Laughlin, NV
Cremated. Ashes scattered.
 Lee Hugo Sager Jr. grew up in East Orange, NJ. He was the eldest of four children (Lee Jr., Grant, Roger, and Lane) to Lee H. Sr. and Mary Tanzola Sager. Lee’s father owned the 1056 Inn, a bar and restaurant in Irvington, NJ. There, and at East Orange High School, in the hectic, lively metropolitan New York area, Lee Jr. began what became a lifelong passion for competition, athletics, and friendships.
Lee excelled in sports, mainly soccer, tennis, and especially basketball, for which he served as high school team captain, scored over 1,000 points, and, as a senior in 1957, was selected as first team All-American by the Associated Press. He was also recently elected to the East Orange High School Hall of Fame. His acclaim in basketball was noteworthy, as he was heavily and actively recruited by the nation’s leading college basketball programs. While Lee wanted to compete at the highest level, he was strongly influenced by his dad and elected to accept an offer of appointment to West Point.
To his dad, and eventually to Lee too, West Point exemplified patriotism, service and the development of the kind of character that would undergird the life of a successful, admirable person. At West Point, Lee lettered every year in basketball and tennis. He was elected captain of the Basketball Team and led the team, for the first time, to a national post-season tournament. In tennis, he and his partner, Robert Chelberg, were the top doubles team every year. Lee endured academics, for which his writing and mathematics talent, and his innate ability to solve problems, served well enough for a successful outcome. After graduation and a commission in the Infantry, Lee, hobbling with a broken leg and ankle, persevered through the ardors of the training and earned the Ranger Tab, to the amazement and admiration of his peers. He then reported to Fort Devens, MA, where he served as a platoon leader and met Patricia Caulfield.
Lee and Pat were married and left the Army. In 1964 Lee became an admired and successful basketball coach at Tulsa University. However, after a year in Oklahoma, the rural environment lost its enchantment, and Lee turned to sales and moved back to New Jersey. During their marriage, Lee and Pat had five children: Lee III, Joe, Julie, Rory and Anson. Lee then found what became his lifelong vocation, the world of finance. Initially achieving high success in large concerns, Lee and a partner soon opened their own firm and acquired a seat on the New York Stock Exchange. Lee eventually formed his own company, Lee H. Sager Jr., Inc., where he enjoyed working with some former classmates.
Lee was fortunate enough to survive the World Trade Center bombing, although he lost many business friends there. After retiring from Wall Street, in 2004 Lee renewed a friendship with Judy Boice, whom he had known back at Columbian Field (basketball court) in East Orange. Judy and Lee married and moved to Laughlin, NV, where he enjoyed year-round golf, a favorite interest forever, the casinos’ sports books, and warm weather. During the years headquartered in Laughlin, Lee continued to follow college and professional basketball, football and baseball. As he had since his New Jersey days, Lee wagered on basketball, baseball and football games, especially rooting for the NY Giants and the Mets. He would avidly devour the daily sports pages of the newspaper and offer betting advice to family and friends.
As a part time interest, Lee operated a bar and restaurant for a few years in nearby Arizona, similar to what his father had in New Jersey some 60 years before. Unfortunately, toward the end, the quality of Lee’s health diminished. During the last portion of his life, Lee was fortunate to have Judy, the companionship of someone who shared his interests and his love. Lee maintained his relationships with his family, and his friendships with classmates, along with a host of individuals he encountered during his New York days. He never lost his zest for competing in athletic events, now mostly relegated only to golf. Lee always chose to compete on an even field, without resorting to handicaps. He loved his kids, his wives, and many others in his life. Lee demonstrated that love with constant loyalty, encouragement and friendship. He will be missed.
— D. Peter Gleichenhaus
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