Bernard J. Sauers was a man known for his clear vision and vigorous mind, his courage, his kindness, his honesty, and his willingness to reach out and change the lives around him for the better. Sometimes he did it with a word of encouragement or an instructive story. Sometimes he lent a hand or an ear, took on an added burden, or gave what he could to whoever needed help. Sometimes he did it by standing up and speaking out, relishing the chance to go toe to toe with any adversary when matters of principle were at stake. And often he did it by asking questions, challenging assumptions, raising new points that hadn't been considered before. He loved nothing better than thinking deeply about the things that really matter, except maybe getting other people to do the same. For a lifetime of reasons like these, he will be missed more than words can say.

Bernard (Ben) was born on May 13, 1934 in Erie, PA to Bernard Joseph and Ethel Viola (Palmer) Sauers, the oldest of their seven children. At the age of 12, Ben moved with his family to a small farm at the top of Pekin Hill Road in French Creek, NY. It had no running water or electricity, and it required a great deal of family labor to run. As the oldest, Ben was often the caretaker (or taskmaster) for his younger siblings, an experience that taught him early and often how to work hard and shoulder responsibility for himself and others. Life at the farm wasn't all work, though, and Ben found a great deal of happiness in the woods and fields of French Creek, and, above all, in the creek itself. Most of his childhood stories involved hunting, fishing, trapping, and swimming with his siblings or his best friend, Johnny Mac.

Health problems kept Ben bedridden so often that he didn't graduate from Clymer Central School until he was 20. Upon graduating in 1954, he enlisted in the Air Force and traveled overseas for the first time, serving in St. Johns, Newfoundland, and Munich, Germany. This experience delighted him, and he remained a traveler for the rest of his life. While in the service, he was persuaded by his friend, Don Leon, to take some classes and also discovered a love of learning that led him in several directions -- to music, to poetry, to leatherwork and woodcarving, and finally to the decision to pursue a career in teaching.

Using the G.I. bill, he enrolled in Edinboro Teachers College where he rescued a young woman from the attentions of another boy by threatening to "knock him on his ass." This young woman was Mary Rosann (Johnson), the love of his life, and within a year they were married. It was a big adjustment, going from the life of a soldier to that of a student, but Ben enjoyed the transition and excelled in his studies (though woe to any upperclassman who tried to haze him). He graduated in 1961 with a B.A., moving on to the Maxwell School of Economics at Syracuse University for an M.A. in 1964.

Ben's first child, Daniel Warren Sauers, was born on April 6, 1961, followed by Dianne Lynn Sauers on May 12, 1963 and Michael Scott Sauers on June 14, 1965. During those years of early fatherhood, Ben grew into the outstanding teacher he would be for the rest of his career, working first at Marcellus Central School and later at Rush-Henrietta High School, where he chaired the Social Studies Department from 1965-1967.

In 1966, he lost his infant son, Michael, in a devastating car accident. Many people collapse in the face of such a loss, but Ben found consolation in his faith and his family. He lived with his son's loss as a reminder that life is fragile, and it made him more determined than ever to make the most of the time he had with the people he loved, doing what he could as a husband, father, teacher, and friend to make the world a better place.

In 1967, he was given the opportunity to teach in Africa as part of the Teacher Education in East Africa project (TEEA). He relocated his family to Tanzania, and they spent the next two years learning how to navigate life in Africa. This ranged from beheading cobras and running from elephants that didn't want to be photographed to learning how to parent and teach in a different culture. Ben and Rosann made lifelong friends with other expatriate families and the African students he helped turn into teachers at the Butimba Teachers College in Mwanza. It's a testament to these friendships that his student, Simon Sitayo, looked him up 30 years later when his daughter, Domina, moved to the U.S., and Domina and her family have now become close friends as well.

In 1970, Ben returned to the U.S. to take a teaching position at Shadyside Academy in Pittsburgh to be near family. In his first few years there, Ben became a father again to Jennifer Roselyn Sauers, born July 6, 1971, and completed a doctoral degree in history from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1974 (with great assistance from Rosann, who was always his typist and editor). Initially intending to return to public education, Ben discovered that he enjoyed the academic freedom at SSA and spent the next 30 years there teaching social studies, history, and economics.

His students encountered a demanding teacher who constantly challenged them to think for themselves and celebrated all their efforts to do so. His colleagues found him to be a tireless advocate for them as well, fighting over and over again to protect good teachers and the principles of academic integrity from administrative malfeasance (he was a thorn in the side of many a bureaucrat). When he retired in 1999, his colleagues presented him with a scrapbook full of memories from his students and fellow teachers, which he treasured, and many of these same students and teachers remained good friends for the rest of his life.

Upon his retirement, Ben and Rosann moved to their farm in French Creek, NY. Ben purchased the land from his father in the early 1970s and built a house there with the help of his brother Bob. Over the years that followed, he found great joy in creating a place where he could grow his own food, hunt and fish, and share the landscape of his childhood with his own children. Friends and family were always welcome, and anyone who visited was treated to homemade cider, fresh vegetables from the garden, and lots of spirited conversation either out on the deck or on a "walk around the block."

A letter from his grandson, Colin, describes just what it was like to visit Ben at his beloved farm:

My memories of Ben Sauers are mostly of him always on the move, making something happen--whether planning a trip to the museum, digging in his garden or guiding us on walks through the forest. The farm was always my favorite place to be with Ben and Rosann. Every inch of that place was curated with so much love that you could feel it as soon as you turned onto the driveway. However, of all the memories I have there is one that stands out, not surprisingly it is of Ben teaching me to drive his tractor when I was about 11 years old. Of course at this age I was excited to drive something so grand and potentially dangerous. The memory is not so much about my excitement, but rather his patience, wisdom and understanding. How comfortable and natural it was to sit there with him and how safe I felt with him beside me as we kicked up some dust together.

And that was Ben -- always on the move, always kicking up some dust as he went along. Even when the farm got to be too much to manage and he moved to Hermitage, PA to escape the snow, he remained as active as old age would allow. He loved fishing on Lake Shenango, working on his woodcarvings, reading widely, listening to good music, helping to feed the hungry and shelter the homeless, and sharing meals with friends. The congregation at First Presbyterian Church in Sharon knew him as a helping hand and a strong voice for tolerance and social justice, and its minister, Glen Hink, knew him as a keen intellectual companion and a good friend.

Ben passed away on February 22, 2017 with his family by his side. His is survived by his wife Rosann, his three children, his four grandchildren (Colin and Malcolm Critcher, Owen and Elias Westbrook), and five of his six siblings (Gary, Juanita Haight, Robert, Timothy, and Rebecca Sartell, deceased: Dale). A memorial was held on February 23 in Sharon, PA for visiting family, and there will be an interment ceremony in April at French Creek, NY. For those who wish to honor Ben's memory, the family has requested charitable donations to help the homeless at Joshua's Haven City Mission at P.O. Box 128, Sharon, PA 16146.

His was a life well-lived and a testament to all of the good that a well-lived life can offer, both to the person living it and to everyone fortunate enough to cross his path. People like that are the hardest to lose, but they linger the longest in the lives they touched. In this way, Ben is still kicking up dust as he goes, and that's all the legacy he would have wanted.