G. Philip Sasser

Phil was born in Laurel County, Kentucky to parents George and Thelma Sasser and older sister Mary Lou. After several moves, Phil graduated from Athens High School in Athens, Ohio. It was here, in biology class, that he met the woman who would become the love of his life, Cassie Rowland. They married on June 6, 1969. Phil earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from The Ohio State University in 1972, and then purchased a pharmacy with his sister and brother-in-law in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. Three years later, the partners purchased Fredericktown Pharmacy, which Phil managed.

The decisive turning point of Phil and Cassie’s lives occurred when they came to faith in Jesus Christ in May 1973. Cassie’s mother invited them to a home Bible study one night. By the time Phil left, he knew two things: Jesus was alive, and he was a sinner. He read the New Testament continuously for six weeks and entrusted himself to Christ.

In 1976, Phil was unexpectedly thrust into pastoral ministry at what became The Church on Elm Street in Butler, Ohio. For much of the next thirty-odd years, Phil’s vocations as a pharmacist and pastor alternated and overlapped. He gave up his full-time pharmacy job in 1982 to concentrate on his work for the church. He returned to full-time pharmacy work in 1989, when he moved the family to Cary, North Carolina. Three years later, the Sasser family joined in the founding of Community Life Church. (Later the church changed its name to Sovereign Grace Church, and finally to Cornerstone Fellowship Church of Apex, North Carolina). Phil devoted the remaining thirty-two years of his life to that church. He served as a pastor there from 1994 to 2018, and as its senior pastor from 2001 to 2016. He also served in multiple leadership roles in the denomination. After retirement, he remained active in the church, preached periodically, and served as a respected advisor at the denominational level.

No other vocation rivaled Phil’s commitment to his family. He not only coached his children's Little League teams, went to his grandchildren’s performances, and took them to rodeos and battlefields, but he cultivated unique personal relationships with each of them. He loved to talk to them about their particular interests, pursuits, and ideas.

Phil was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in 2016, and progressively lost lung capacity. He remained intellectually vigorous and relationally engaged with family, friends, and church until the end. He bore the pain and limitations of his last months with Christian patience, and with gratitude for Cassie’s faithful care.

Phil was predeceased by his parents. He is survived by his wife Cassandra “Cassie” Sasser; their five children, Anne (Daniel) Baker, Jamison “Jamie” (Jennifer) Sasser, Travis (Joy) Sasser, Nathan (Patricia) Sasser, and Philip (Kate) Sasser; twenty grandchildren; one great-grandson; and Phil’s sister, Mary Lou (John) Montenery.

Family will receive friends and guests on Friday, August 23, 2024 from 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM at Cornerstone Fellowship Church, 401 Upchurch St., Apex, NC 27502. A funeral service will be held in honor of Phil on Saturday, August 24, 2024 at 12:00 PM at Cornerstone Fellowship Church, with a burial to follow at Oakwood Cemetery, 701 Oakwood Ave, Raleigh, NC 27601.

Flowers are welcome and we recommend supporting a local florist in the area. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy can be shared below within “Add a Memory” for the Sasser family.