Florence Ruth Saeger (née Schaal) died at the age of 84 in her Laclede Groves home in Webster Groves, MO on July 2.
Flo was born on January 11, 1938, in San Antonio, TX to Frederick and Renata Schaal (née Kieschnick). She graduated from Brackenridge High School in San Antonio and attended Concordia Teachers’ College in Seward, NE, where she received a Bachelor of Science in Education in 1960. In 1990, she earned her Master of Science degree in Management from National-Louis University.
Flo was married to her husband, Vic, for nearly 58 years, and together they raised two children, Deborah (now of Madison, WI) and Steven (now of Boulder, CO) in Kirkwood, MO. Flo taught elementary school prior to starting a family, then volunteered in a variety of roles while raising her children. She returned to full-time employment at BJC Healthcare, first as a trainer, and subsequently as an organizational specialist.
Flo gave generously of her time and talents, serving on the boards of the Great Rivers and Central State Synods, and assuming leadership roles at Luther Memorial Church, Christ Lutheran Church, Metro-St. Louis Lutheran Coalition, International Partners in Mission (IPM), and the Laclede Oaks Community Association. She and Vic also delivered Meals on Wheels for 25 years. After her retirement, she also traveled extensively with Vic, visiting five of the seven continents with memorable trips to China, Kenya, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Nepal, many European countries, and multiple trips to Australia to visit relatives. Many of these were not purely sight-seeing trips, but opportunities for Flo to foster the more compassionate, equitable, just, and peaceful world that she believed in so strongly.
Prior to moving to Laclede Groves Senior Living Community, Flo could often be found in her garden, which she tended with the same care and love she devoted to her family. Her celebrated homegrown tomatoes were shared widely, and her homemade applesauce and Christmas cookies were particularly popular with her children and grandson. She brought her garage sale prowess to Laclede Groves, where she enjoyed volunteering in the Wise Buys re-sale shop (and occasionally finding bargains of her own). Flo was a voracious reader of mysteries and historical fiction until the end of her life and was an avid viewer of the PBS News Hour, Late Night with Stephen Colbert, and Masterpiece Theater in equal measure.
Flo is survived by her daughter Deb (Chris), son Steve, grandson Sam, sisters Rose and Linda (Carl), brother-in-law Rich (Sandy), many nephews and nieces, and countless others who knew her kindness, compassion, and love. She was preceded in death by her husband Vic, her parents, brothers-in-law Jack, Ron, John, Keith, and Donnie, and sisters-in-law Charlotte and Lorraine. A memorial service will be held at Christ Lutheran Church – Webster Groves on September 24 at 10:30 a.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider contributions in Flo’s memory to Christ Lutheran Church (https://www.christwg.org/), the Missouri Botanical Garden (https://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/), the St. Louis Food Bank (https://stlfoodbank.org/), or Planned Parenthood of the St. Louis Region and Southwest Missouri (https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-st-louis-region-southwest-missouri).