Doreen S. (Sager) Barger

Doreen (Sager) Barger, 94, died peacefully Sept. 14, 2025, with her family around her and wearing one of her beloved Cape Cod sweatshirts. A nearly lifelong Torrington resident, she was born to the late Clarence Sager and Olive (Olivia) Larsen Sager. 

An avid reader, puzzle solver, and UConn basketball fan, she usually had a stack of novels and puzzle books nearby. Her grandchildren marveled at her ability to get almost every answer right while watching Jeopardy, unsuccessfully encouraging her to go on the show. Well into her senior years, Doreen consistently won in games of Scrabble with her children and grandchildren. She was a regular at The Hickory Stick Bookshop in Washington Depot and read about three books a week. She donated hundreds of her books to libraries in Connecticut and on Cape Cod. 

While her favorite attire was a Cape Cod sweatshirt – and she had many in several colors – Doreen’s fashion sense for her children and grandchildren stayed current with the latest trends. She remembered her grandchildren’s sizes and favorite colors, and they could count on her to replenish their wardrobes on birthdays and Christmas. While visiting the Cape annually with her youngest son, daughter-in-law and three of her grandchildren, she consistently looked for gifts for her other grandchildren. 

She could be found on the sidelines watching her four children’s and 10 grandchildren’s sporting events and in the audience at school plays and concerts. She even attended her oldest daughter’s volleyball and softball games through college. 

Doreen followed UConn Men’s and Women’s basketball for decades, texting with her sons and grandsons during the games, happy to comment on the players and action on the court. She loved texting with her family members and particularly enjoyed seeing photos of family members’ cats.

After graduating from Torrington High School and continuing until retirement at 65, Doreen worked for the Southern New England Telephone Company, or SNET, first as an operator and then as a manager. After two years on the job as an operator, the phone company featured her picture in a newspaper advertisement in 1951. 

She joined a bowling league with her coworkers and was serious enough to have her own bowling ball and shoes. On weekday afternoons in the summer, she brought her children to Ouleout, a recreation area with a lake and woodlands run by the Torrington YMCA. The whole family spent weekend days there all summer, packing a picnic lunch and burgers and hotdogs for dinner. 

Doreen’s favorite hobby was shopping for gifts for her family. She began Christmas shopping in the summer and finished by Halloween. She wrapped gifts by early December, often in paper she bought to support her grandchildren’s school fundraising efforts.  She never spent money on herself other than to buy Dunkin' Donuts coffee and books, but she loved buying gifts for her family. 

In later years, Doreen enjoyed watching birds and learning their varieties while she sat outside reading.  

She was predeceased by her husband of 42 years, Andrew Barger; and two brothers, Carl Sager and Don Sager. She is survived by four children, Gail (and Richard) Stieglitz, of Haymarket, Virginia; Glenn (and Theresa Sullivan) Barger, of Canton, Connecticut; Karen (and Joey) McElroy, of Torrington, Connecticut; and Mike (and Tracy) Barger, of Morris, Connecticut; and 10 grandchildren, Nicole and Matthew Stieglitz; Andrew, Emily (Kenny Batu), and Brian Barger; Jessica, Jeffery, and Joseph McElroy; and Kalea and Jada Barger. 

Services will be private. Prospect Memorial/ The Palmerie Family Funeral Home is honored to assist Doreen's family during this difficult time and invites you to share your words of comfort on Doreen's tribute wall on this website.

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