Gregory Patrick “Sparkee” Sauk, age 65, passed away at home in his sleep on February 5th, 2022 in Landsdale, PA. Born on September 9th, 1956, in Pittsburgh, Pa, he is the son of Angela Sauk (nee Mazzaro) and the late Frank Sauk. He is proceeded in death by his twin brother Jeffrey (1956) and brother Dave (2017).
Greg is survived by his sons Benjamin (Marilyn) and Geoffrey, his former wife Renae (nee Wiesner), his mother Angela, his brothers Frank (Elizabeth) Sauk and Brian (Monica) Sauk, his sisters Cynthia (William) Rice and Rebecca (Craig) Mergenthaler; and many nieces and nephews.
Greg earned a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the Pennsylvania State University and was a functional safety engineer at Exida Innovation, LLC.
He was actively involved in the Pokemon trading card game (TCG) community as a league leader and official judge. After teaching his sons how to play the Pokemon TCG 23 years ago, he helped to staff and judge numerous local, national and world championships. He also enjoyed playing Pokemon Go and eating the spiciest food he could find. One of Greg’s finest quotes was, “Food is merely a vehicle for transporting sriracha sauce.” He was a tinkerer at heart and loved to work on vehicles and the many challenges that his sons created.
A receiving for Greg’s family and friends will take place at 9:00 am on February 14, 2022, at Corpus Christi, 900 Sumneytown Pike Lansdale, PA, 19446 followed by a funeral mass at 11:00 am. He will be buried in Jefferson Memorial Cemetery in Pittsburgh with his brothers and father.
In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the American Heart Association or the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. Thank you to all of Greg’s family and friends for your support during this difficult time.
We just learned of Sparkee’s passing today, after coming across his memorial at the park we actually first met him at. To say we are crushed to learn of his passing is an understatement. We hope he is still catching Pokémon in heaven.
I am very sorry for your loss. I am a cousin who has lost contact with family members and fondly remembers Gregory. His grandmother Helen was my aunt and what a wonderful person she was too My deepest sympathy,Nancy Visnesky Salley
Greg was an amazing person. He was so well loved by his family. I remembered him being an amazing son in law to Robert and Libby Wiesner. Very intelligent and funny too.
We will always remember you as a “Best Friend”, “Lucky Friend” and a believer in the power of Weedle! Wishing you lots of hundos and shinies.
So sorry for the loss of your beloved father, Ben. Sounds like he was a neat character.
I had the privilege of meeting Greg several times during Pokemon Championships. I have such fond memories of him. He was kind to all around him, gentle and calm even in the most stressful and tense moment, he had such a warm and sincere smile, and he was very bright and funny. My thoughts go to his family during this very difficult time, but I hope you hearts are filled with great memories of him and that these memories will help you. Greg, you will be missed by so many.
Always great to work with, always had a kind word and smile on his face.