Obituary of Agnes Vivian Sayles

Agnes V. Sayles, 92, died peacefully on Saturday night, November 14, at Watauga Medical Center. Present with her was her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter. Born in Black Hawk County, Iowa, on January 22, 1923, Agnes was the second daughter of Kate (Eldridge) and Christian Otto Refshauge. Otto,a first-generation Danish-American, had nine siblings. He lost his farm in the early years of the Depression. Before marrying, Kate was a one-room school teacher. Agnes attended Iowa State Teachers College, receiving a teaching certificate after two years. In 1942, she became a Government Girl in the War Department in Washington, D.C. Her office was later transferred to the Prudential Building in Newark, NJ. She went on to work for Newsweek in Manhattan. Returning home, she became a gauge tester in the tank-production division of the John Deere Company in Waterloo. In 1947 she took a teaching job in Las Vegas, New Mexico, home of New Mexico Highlands University, where she took art classes. She later worked at J.C. Pennys. In 1950, she and her son, Leslie Bud Gerber, moved to Monrovia, California, to be closer to her mothers extended family. A skilled book-keeper, Agnes worked for the Telephone Company, Southern Counties Gas Company, the City of Monrovia, Engineering Science Corporation, and the Arcadia Tribute newspaper. At Monrovia Methodist Church her passion for Christian Education was awakened. She worked in all phases of the Sunday school program and was celebrated for her innovative curricular ideas, dramatic productions and work in the arts. Later, her talents would result in a sojourn in Nashville, where she helped develop teaching materials for the United Methodist Church as a whole. In 1963, she moved to nearby Sierra Madre and then to Pasadena, where she earned her B.A. at Pasadena Nazarene College. At the same time, she took over the care of her parents. After the death of her father in 1966, she moved with her mother to San Francisco, where she worked for the Board of Education. Returning to the San Gabriel Valley, she studied Library Science at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. This led to employment as the Head of Circulation at California Polytechnic University in Pomona. From there, Agnes went to California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Pasadena, working in Computing Services. In 1973, Agnes married Raymond Leroy Sayles, a World War II veteran and former colleague. With this, she became the stepmother of seven, a task she undertook with energy and dedication. Her special concerns were Chris and Paul Sayles, who suffered from Louis-Bar syndrome, degenerative nerve disorder that soon left them wheel-chair bound. After Rays death in 1980, she continued to be involved in the lives of the Sayles children, especially Ray, Jr., a contemporary of her son. In her remaining years in California, Agnes cared for her mother, became a full-time Christian Education specialist, and continued as a librarian. She directed the Sunday school program at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Sierra Madre, moving next to Glendale Methodist Church as the Director of Christian Education. She officially retired from that position in 1988, the year her mother died. Thereafter, she was on the staff of the Sierra Madre Public Library. In 1995, at the age of 72, she moved to Boone, North Carolina, to be closer to her sons family. She soon had joined the local Democratic Party, AARP, and Friends of the Library. At St. Lukes Episcopal Church her talents as teacher, artist, and event-planner were quickly put to use. Increasingly concerned with the suffering of children in situations of war, she developed a deeper appreciation for Gandhi, King, Mother Teresa and other peace activists. This lead to a series of initiatives and projects both in the church and the community. She became known as someone who not only made wonderful signs and banners, but who also had the courage to display them in processions, demonstrations and parades. Celebrating her life and legacy are her son, Leslie Gerber; daughter-in-law, Ann M. Gerber; in Asheville, granddaughter No�l Ivey; her husband, Justice H. Kraus; and their sons, Oskar Bernard Kraus (5) and Benedikt Bruno Kraus (2). Her stepchildren are Ray Sayles, Jr., of Downers Grove, Illinois; Cathy E. Schoon of Manson, Iowa; and Ellen A. Baldwin and Randy G. Sayles in Southern California. Cathy Gerlach (Chuck) and Frank Vitacco (Sandy) are the offspring of her deceased older sister, Alice Refshauge Vitacco. Her brother, Lyle Refshauge, still lives in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with son Ted. Lyles other children are Tom Refshauge (Joyce) of Rodgers, Arkansas; Janet Miltenberger (Joe) of Astoria, Oregon; Amy K. Refshauge of Springdale, Arkansas; and Linda Cates (Gary) of Mesa, Colorado. The funeral for Agnes Sayles will be held at St. Lukes Episcopal Church in Boone on Friday, November 20, at 1:00 p.m. Interment in the Memorial Garden will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Episcopal Relief & Development, Maternal & Child Health Program. www.episcopalrelief.org. Arrangements are through Austin & Barnes Funeral Home. Online condolences may be shared with the Sayles family at www.austinandbarnesfuneralhome.com Agnes family hereby pays special tribute to the personnel at Appalachian Brian Estates and Deerfield Ridge Assisted Living for the years of patient, never-flagging care they provided.