Pastor Robert L. Sauser

On June 29, 1943 a baby boy was born to Harland and Leona Sauser in Rochester, Minnesota. Robert LeRoy was the first baby born to the young Pastor and his wife; there would be 3 others over the next 10 years; Mary, two years later, Don, five years later, and John, 10 years later. The young family spent a few years in Minnesota before moving to accept a ministry at the First Baptist Church in Silvis Illinois.



Robert was very independent, even as a youngster. He remembers when he was 10 his

parents put him on a Greyhound bus with a note pinned to his lapel. He rode all the way to

Verona, Wisconsin all by himself.



Young Robert’s determination was evident early on; in grade school he wanted a new bike but

funds were short and this was not possible. There was an old tricycle in the garage with a front

wheel and a back wheel on it. Robert learned to ride the tricycle by leaning far over to one side to balance, keeping the wheeless side of the trike off the ground.



He had a paper route all through grade school into high school and would deliver papers on

foot. He later would recall that there was an older lady on the route who was always asking him to come in and help her with chores. Sometimes the chores took quite a while, and when

Robert was short on time he would stash his paper bag behind a fence and crawl up to the

porch on hands and knees to avoid being seen. He would drop the paper on the porch and run

like crazy until he was out of range. He kept his paper route through high school and added a

job at Wilson’s gas station in East Moline as well. His senior year he also worked as a

switchman for the Rock Island railroad; often times he had to walk several miles to or from work.

He often recalled how he would put rubber bands around the hem of his pants to keep the mice from running up his leg while he was walking in the rail yard.



He was involved in basketball in high school; his first year trying out he didn’t make the team.

He didn’t allow this to deter him, practicing all summer to develop speed and precision on the

court. The next year he made the team. He later commented that God used this to impress on

him the need to not give up when the outcome isn’t the one you expect; sometimes God has a

different outcome in mind and your success is in your faithfulness, not in the outcome.



He was involved in marching band playing the trombone. He took away two things from those

years; he played the trombone during music services in churches and in several music groups

and ensembles over the years, and anyone who ever saw him run will know you never saw any one raise their knees quite so high and run quite so fast while doing so.



He saved up his money while in high school to buy a black 1947 Chevy slant back. It needed a lot of work but he soon had it humming.



Robert graduated from East Moline High School in 1961 and was soon headed to Baptist Bible Seminary in Johnson City, New York. He was going to serve God in ministry, just like dad.



Robert worked many jobs to pay for his education, but still found time to be involved in

basketball, soccer (for which he earned a MVP award) and choir.



He met his life’s mate in late 1962 during his sophomore year while on a double date. He was driving and Judi was in the back seat with his buddy. No one has been able to confirm who first flirted with whom in the rear view mirror, but it doesn’t matter. They were both smitten.



Bob and Judi were married June 13, 1964 in Belmont, New York. The young couple stayed

very busy making ends meet and when not in classes Bob held several different jobs. He

worked at IBM building computer boards, and as an orderly at the hospital. He would recount

with a twinkle in his eye how he and a buddy teamed up to play a joke on a janitor that was

harassing the nurses. His buddy lay on the bed and covered up with a sheet, and dad asked

the janitor to help him wheel a body down to the morgue. As they were making the long walk

through the dark halls his buddy began twitching and moving. Bob pretended not to notice, but

the janitor’s eyes began getting wide. As they wheeled into the morgue, the man on the bed sat straight up. The janitor shrieked and ran out of the hospital; he never came back to work.



Robert also worked for a master carpenter during this time, and from him learned many skills

that he used in ministry throughout his life.



Bob and Judi’s first joint church ministry began before he graduated from seminary; it was with

Bob’s new father-in-law, also a pastor. The young couple worked with the youth and Bob led

music for church services. During this time Rob, their oldest, was born, in 1966.



Robert graduated in 1968, soon after he accepted his second ministry in Waterloo, Iowa. It was

here that their daughter, Heidi was born. There were several complications surrounding her

birth and the doctors thought she would not survive. They told him this, and asked him to inform Judi. Instead he told her that the baby was very sick but they had a great God and were going to trust their future to Him. It was several months before they were able to bring her home but she did come home.



During this time Bob was also invited to pheasant hunt with his new boss and his father in law.

This was a new experience; he hadn’t grown up hunting, but was always ready to try anything.

He borrowed a gun from his father in-law and soon had a bead on a bird. He shot, wounding

but not killing the bird. The bird flapped to the ground and began to run. Bob sprinted toward

the bird, hurdling a fence to reach it, and, at a loss as to what he was to do next, quickly raised

the borrowed gun like a club and brought it down, hard, over the bird, breaking the bird’s neck,

and, sadly, the stock of the gun. His family later teased him telling him they would take him

deer hunting but he would need a bigger club to finish the job.



Bob and Judi accepted their first Senior Pastorate in Chariton, Iowa in 1971. Although this was

his first ministry at lead pastor, his heart for youth still pumped strong. He began a bus ministry

and soon had filled a bus with children on Sunday morning. As the bus filled they began a

calling ministry to the parents of those children. The size of the church had soon tripled and a

building program began. He would later look back and comment that he learned about

evangelism in this ministry.



The Sausers moved to Elimsport, Pennsylvania around 1976. It was a very rural setting and

here Robert began to develop a discipleship ministry. After four short years, they were called

to Camillus, New York.



God worked through the people and circumstances in Camillus to develop the ministry of

discipleship that many associate with Bob to this day. He was known to explore new hobbies

with the aim of spending time with people so he could interact with them on a spiritual level. He continued to incorporate good solid Bible teaching with evangelism, but he always claimed God really developed his ministry of discipleship in Camillus. It was in Camillus that he also coached high school basketball; he used this opportunity to build into the youth by requiring the players to memorize scripture as a requirement to play. It was also in Camillus that Annette, almost 16 years old, joined the family.



Bob and Judi became empty nesters in Camillus, and shortly after this they had a call to Butler, Pennsylvania. Although this was another relatively short ministry, God continued to develop their ministry of encouragement and discipleship during this time. Dad also had the opportunity to go on several wilderness trips to Canada; he always returned refreshed in spirit from those trips.



The Sausers moved to Creston around 1994. Their ministry there would span 15 years,

countless friendships, joys and griefs. During this time Judi’s parents joined them, and Bob

built a wing onto their house to accommodate them.



Bob retired (or attempted to retire) from pastoral ministry in Creston. It wasn’t too long before

he had accepted a ministry as regional field director for Baptist Church Planters, visiting

missionary pastors and encouraging and supporting them in their work. They traveled the

Midwest and west coast much during the 9 hears he held that role.



In 2019 Robert retired from Baptist Church Planters and accepted a role as pastor to Good

Shepherd Baptist Church in Omaha, Nebraska. He ministered there until his death from

COVID in November 2020.



Robert will be remembered for his big smile, hearty laugh, mischievous twinkle, but mostly for

the huge heart he had for others. His life was a gift to all who had the privilege of knowing him.







Services will be set for a future date to be determined.











John A. Gentleman Mortuaries and Crematory

Pacific Street Chapel

14151 Pacific Street Omaha, Nebraska 68154

www.johnagentleman.com





























a