Benjamin Saag, 40, passed away peacefully at home with his family by his side at 11 a.m. Monday, March 3, 2008 after battling cancer for the past 16 months.
Ben was born in Chicago on Feb. 20, 1968.
He was the youngest of three sons born to James and Gloria Saag of Evanston, IL. He spent his happy childhood in Evanston until he went to college at Indiana University in Bloomington, where he received his Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science.
It was at Indiana University that he became actively involved in the student government program, which led him down his professional path into Municipal Government.
He began his professional career upon receiving his Masters of Public Administration from Northern Illinois University in Dekalb.
From Illinois, in 1994, Ben traveled to Haines City, FL for his first job as an assistant to the city manager.
It was there that he met his wife, Mary Anne.
She had two young sons that he immediately took under his wing.
Becoming an instant father was very natural for Ben, as he had been so present in the lives of his four nieces early on. In 1999, Ben and his family moved to South Florida where he became the city manager of the coastal town of Highland Beach, assistant manager in Jupiter and finally made a home for his family with a sense of community in Henderson in May 2005.
He was proud of the work he did in all the communities he worked in, but he genuinely loved the people he worked with and for in the City of Henderson, KY. He was so grateful to all the support of “his” community during his tenure with the city, on many controversial issues.
However, he was so moved by all the support he received when he became ill.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Anne; sons, Robert, Stephen, Alex and Matthew of Henderson; two brothers, Kenneth G. Saag and wife, Leah of Birmingham, AL and David Saag and wife, Sherrie of Omaha, NE; parents, James and Gloria Saag of Northbrook, IL; brother-in-law, Kendall Lee and wife, Betty of Orlando, FL; sister-in-law, Cindy Lee of Haines City, FL; mother-in-law, Marion G. Lee of Haines City, FL; nieces, Jenny, Lauren and Stefanie Saag of Birmingham, AL and Rachel Saag of Omaha, NE; and nephews, Stephen and Thomas Lee of Orlando, FL and Jordan Saag of Omaha, NE. Funeral Services will be 10 a.m. Thursday, March 6, 2008 atHerman Meyer and Son, 1338 Ellison Avenue in Louisville, KY. Visitation begins at 9 a.m. Thursday.
Interment to follow at Adath Jeshurun Cemetery, Louisville.
A community Memorial Service will be held at First United Methodist Church, Henderson, KY on Friday, March 7, at 1 p.m. Expressions of Sympathy may take the form of contributions to St. Anthony’s Hospice, Henderson; Hoofprints in the Sand Therapeutic Riding Program, Henderson; and The American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, Henderson County.
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This is a paid death notice.
