Dean A. Sager, age 76, of Freeport, IL, passed away peacefully with family present on Saturday, September 5, 2026. He was born on April 5, 1950, to Earl and Leona (Herbig) Sager. Dean married Sandy McKee on September 18, 1967.

He worked for 35 years at ComEd until his retirement. Dean greatly enjoyed his time hunting and fishing on the farm that he owned with his brother, Earl. He spent countless hours in his shop, where he enjoyed woodworking and taking on projects with his friends and family, from rebuilding boats to restoring vehicles. One especially memorable project was his daughter Tracy’s first car, a 1967 Ford Mustang.

Dean was an avid outdoorsman whether it was sports or recreation. He loved baseball and was quite a star. He would later go on to coach his son Scott’s baseball teams, winning the Pony League Tri-county Championship. His favorite teams were the Chicago Bears and the Chicago White Sox. Off the field, he took many trips to Canada and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan to bear hunt with his friends and his Plott hounds. For 30 years, he and Sandy would spend a part of each winter in Ixtapa, Mexico, where he loved to deep sea fish and spend time with the local people where he made many friends.

He was family-orientated and felt very fortunate to have the family he had. Dean enjoyed nothing more than spending time with his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Dean is survived by his wife Sandy; children - Scott (Leslie Jacobs) Sager and Tracy Meier; grandchildren - Kara (Ryan) Wagand, Reid (Josh) Alber, Kaylee (Owen Johnson) Sager, Cade (Ally Hasken) Meier and Shay Sager; great-grandchildren-Grey Alber, Ky Wagand, Waylon, Cash and Millie Johnson; sisters-in-law Laurel (Peter) Rohrs and Sandra Jo Sager and numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, brother Earl “Mick” Sager and brother-in-law Gaylord Swanson.

Our family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to numerous friends and the dedicated medical staff at SSM Health Monroe, WI who supported our family throughout this journey and helped make it possible for us to keep him comfortably at home, surrounded by those he loved.

In lieu of flowers, those who wish may donate to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in his memory.

Private family graveside service will be held.

A celebration of life will be held at 4 O’clock Wednesday, September 9th at “The Barn on Shady View” 8722 N Shady View Road, Dakota, IL.