Gerhardt George Sauskojus

Gerhardt George Sauskojus, 88, went to be with his Lord on Sunday, May 7, 2017, in Billings, Mont.

A memorial service is planned for Tuesday, May 30, at 10 a.m., at the Lustre Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church, 347 Wall St., Lustre, MT.

He was born July 8, 1928, to David and Marie (Waitschies) Sauskojus on the Sauskojus family farm near Richland, Mont., where he grew up. In addition to attending Peerless High School, he took classes at Lutheran Bible Institute in Minneapolis, Minn.

After seasonal work for Boeing in Seattle came to an end, he went to the King's Garden to serve in Christian mission work. While at King's Garden, his smiling face, blue eyes, and cowboy hat and attire made the Montanan stand out to the woman who would be the love of his life - Gerane Marie Sauskojus. In the urban scenario of doing mission work at the King's Garden, Gerane thought Gerhardt was an out-of-place cowboy. He helped her change a tire and the rest is history! They were married June 8, 1963, in the Edmonton Lutheran Church in Edmonton, Wash., and together they raised three sons. He and his family farmed the Sauskojus farm. He loved hunting, fishing, bowling, and especially flying a Piper Cub and Cessna 182. Out on the farm, he loved feeding and watching birds and pheasants.

Having grown up just on the edge of the Great Depression, he held a strong belief that things should be saved for future use. This is a strong difference from today's use-and-throw-away culture.

As testified by those who were around him, he was known for having a ready smile to share with any person he met. In addition to his radiant smile, he also had an incurable sweet tooth, and his grandchildren knew candy would show up soon after "Papa" appeared.

Following the biblical presentation in Acts 16:31, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved," he had trusted in the Lord Jesus Christ for personal salvation as his Lord and Savior. Even toward the very end of his life, he was asking nurses, "Do you know the Lord?"

He was preceded in death by his parents, David and Marie Sauskojus; one sister, Ruth Bartolf; one brother, Walter Sauskojus; and an infant brother.

Survivors include his wife, Gerane; three sons, Jason, Jesse and his wife, Sherry, and Jeremy and his wife, Lori; one sister, Anna McIlroy; one brother, Karl; and seven grandchildren.

Arrangements are in the care of Dokken-Nelson Funeral Service, http://www.dokkennelson.com