Wilbert “Will” Henry Sauermilch, 93, passed away at home in Victoria on October 29, 2024. He was born in Yorktown on April 1, 1931, to Albert and Agnes (Sager) Sauermilch. Will graduated Salutatorian from Yorktown High School in 1949. He attended Texas Lutheran College (TLC) in Seguin, graduating in 1953 with a Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting. Will was honored to be in the first group to attend one of TLC’s four-year degree programs. Upon graduation, Will enlisted in the US Navy and completed Officer Candidate School in Rhode Island. He was stationed in Long Beach, CA and served as Lieutenant JG on the USS Bremerton during the Korean War. Will was honorably discharged in 1956 and served in the Naval Reserve until 1963.
Will started dating Mary Loyce Voelkel of Nordheim the summer before attending TLC.
They were married on December 27, 1953, at St Paul Lutheran Church in Nordheim.
Mary followed Will to California to start their married life. They were blessed with four precious daughters: Patricia (Mark) Eagleston of Cypress, Texas, Sharon (Craig) Wagner of Thorn Hill, Tennessee, Brenda Sargent of San Marcos, Texas, and Kristine (Craig) Gabriel of Seguin, Texas. Will loved his girls!
Will’s accounting career had him working for several companies in Houston, but his most treasured jobs were overseas assignments: in Sao Paulo, Brazil for eleven years and three years in Panama City, Panama. Will and Mary retired to the family ranch adjacent to the Yorktown Country Club in 1998. They branded their cattle using the “CV” brand of Mary’s father and named the ranch Campo Verde in memory of time spent in Brazil and Panama. Will worked hard improving the ranch and thoroughly enjoyed his second career with his Red Brangus herd. In 2017 they retired again to senior independent living in Victoria.
Will volunteered his accounting skills and endless hours as treasurer to the American school “Graded” and the American interdenominational Fellowship Community Church both in Sao Paulo, and to the Lutheran Marriage Encounter Ministry in Houston. He was a staunch supporter of Texas Lutheran University (TLU). He was also a board member in the Pecan Valley Water District in DeWitt County, Will was baptized at the St Paul Lutheran Church in Yorktown and was an active church member throughout his 93 years of life. He loved to study the Bible and completed many years of Bible Study Fellowship (BSF).
Will is survived by his wife, Mary, of almost 70 years, his four daughters, eight grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents and sister, Ruth Sauermilch.
