Michael Eugene Saager

Michael Eugene Saager of Gilbert, Arizona passed away at the age of 66 on Sunday, October 29, 2023, surrounded by his wife and children.

He was born February 13, 1957, in Ottawa, Illinois and was the son of Garth Eugene Saager and Sandra Kay Auten. Mike married the love of his life Wendy Lee Saager on September 25, 1981, in the Mesa Arizona Temple. They were married for 42 wonderful years. He is survived by six boys that he loved so much, Jason (Ksenia), Matthew, Brad (Courtney), Aaron (Cassidy), Zach and Nick. He also had four grandchildren that were so important to him — Hudson, Reese, Sylvie, and Wes. He is survived by his sister Lori, brother Craig, and father Garth (Dee). He is preceded in death by his mother, Sandy.

Mike was a proud alumnus of Scottsdale High School, NAU, and BYU. He served his LDS mission in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 1977 to 1979. He lived in Scottsdale for 40 years before moving to Mesa for 20 years, and then to Gilbert for the last 5 years of his life to be closer to some of his grandchildren.

Mike was a Real Estate investor, developer, and a Designated Broker for Saager Properties for over 30 years. He owned thousands of acres of vacant land and helped develop many residential subdivisions, spec homes, office buildings, and vacant land in 9 of the 13 counties in Arizona.

He loved spending time outdoors in northern Arizona at his cabin in the mountains. He enjoyed fishing, hunting, playing basketball, as well as watching sports. He especially loved watching football and basketball. He was an avid reader and loved listening to music. His favorite things to do were spending time with his wife attending concerts, watching sports with his children, and going on vacations with his boys and grandkids. All Mike ever wanted was for his family to be happy and healthy. He was a very sentimental and genuine man who touched the lives of so many. He loved serving in his various church callings, particularly his time as Bishop of the Arcadia ward. He was passionate about working with the youth in the church throughout his adult life.

His funeral will be held on November 4, 2023, at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints located at 495 S. Greenfield Rd. in Gilbert, AZ. He will be laid to rest under a tree at the Gilbert Memorial Park Cemetery.