Robert “Bob” David Stager, M.D., age 53, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 16, 2019 in Augusta, GA. He was surrounded by family and friends. Dr. Stager was born February 15, 1966 in Cleveland, OH. He is survived by his wife Michelle Prinz Stager; his son, Nolan Robert Stager; his daughter, Julia Cosette Stager; his parents, David and Lollie Stager; his sister, Jeannine Abele (Adam); and his nephews and nieces.
A memorial mass will be held at 2:00 PM on Tuesday, February 26, 2019 at St. Mary on the Hill Catholic Church with Rev. Michael Hull serving as celebrant.
Dr. Stager was a 1984 graduate of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, OH. He obtained his B.S. in Biology from Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN in 1988. He earned his M.D. from The Ohio State University in 1992 and completed his residency in OB/GYN at Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. Dr. Stager was a practicing OB/GYN for 23 years. He worked in private practice in Medina, OH before deciding to pursue a teaching career. Dr. Stager was a passionate and accomplished educator. He taught for many years at the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta, GA, at St. Joseph’s Medical Center in Ann Arbor, MI, and then returned to the Augusta University Medical Center for the past five years. He was recognized many times with awards from his residents locally and on a national scale.
Dr. Stager loved his family and friends passionately and deeply. He was an avid Browns, Indians, and Cavaliers fan no matter where he lived. Dr. Stager was a person who cared deeply for others, so it is no surprise he became a doctor. Even in his last days he still searched for ways to help others. Dr. Stager was a teacher who loved helping those beginning their careers to master the many nuances of being a doctor. His mastery was of humility. There has never been a more humble creature put on this earth. His legacy rests in the hearts of all those who called him a friend. We will always be his friend. Dr. Stager had a way of connecting with people. He was simple in his approach and complex in his results. Dr. Stager did not make you think, but he was a great thinker with a childlike curiosity. He did not make you want for more but found a way to make you see that you had enough.
Bob did do a very special thing.
Bob did have a very special talent.
Bob did give you a very special gift.
Bob made you feel. Bob made everyone feel. Bob made everyone feel loved, needed, appreciated, worthy, respected, and safe.
Dr. Stager’s most memorable quality was the intangible way he floated through life. He was a waveless ocean. His beauty was how difficult he was to describe. He escaped every stereotype of the ordinary. Dr. Stager would have been happy to be remembered as ordinary, which is the very thing that made him anything but ordinary. Bob Stager was extraordinary.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of Augusta, 4141 Columbia Road Suite D, Martinez, GA, 30907
The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Sunday afternoon, February 24, 2019 from 1:00 PM until 4:00 PM. Following the visitation the family will hold a reception at the Savannah River Brewing Company, 813 5th Street, Augusta, GA, 30901 until 7:00 PM.