John Saksa was born in 1911 to immigrant parents. The family lived in Sheridan, Wyoming, at the time but moved to Sand Coulee, Montana, by 1920. John was one of 10 children in this large, close family. By September 1931, John was working in Fort Benton. For the next decade, John could always be found in the Fort Benton paper because of his athletic skills in the game of baseball. He played pitcher and outfielder for the local team, and as the paper wrote, he was an "all-around player and could really hit also." John and Neoma Schierle were married in January of 1942, and by March, John had enlisted in the US Army/ Air Corps. His new wife joined him when he was stationed in California, and their two children were born there. John was discharged in October of 1945. The family lived in Great Falls through 1946 and into 1947. We next find the family living in Fort Benton, where John was listed as the Fort Benton Baseball Club manager in April 1950. In August of that year, Saksa was appointed deputy sheriff. For several years, the Sheriff's office dealt with stabbings, car theft, car accidents, vandalism, suicides, reckless driving, and driving under the influence. Saksa resigned or took time off between July 1956 and April 1957. So, except for those few months, John worked in law enforcement from 1950 to 1978.
In November 1958, he won the Chouteau County Sheriff's job after a long-fought campaign against Sheriff Anderson. His campaign motto is "Not too old, not too new. But Better Qualified to Represent You". During his years as Sheriff, he was busy. Who was willing and able to volunteer for any event or activity in the Fort Benton area. 1959 events in Fort Benton brought the attention of almost all newspapers in the state. A "Burglar Gang" with detailed pre-planning broke into 5 businesses in one night. In November 1959, Sheriff Saksa warned the people who lived near the river. "There will be high water in the river because of the need to drop water out of Hebgen Lake. The area behind the Dam is having the water lowered so repairs can done to the earthquake damage". Anyone worried about the river flooding their home should follow the river's rise closely. John also served Chouteau County as The County's Fire Marshal and started the Volunteer Fire Fighters. Sheriff Saksa served as Chouteau County Civil Defense Director, and his talks and speeches were frequently listed in the local papers. His presentations included " Planning for Survival in the Event of Nuclear Attack" and " End Apathy in Protection Against Possible Atomic War ." John also served as County Humane Officer, Director of Public Safety, and County Coroner. John was well-liked and was elected 5 times. In January 1978, the Sheriff resigned effectively on February 1st, giving reasons for health and other personal reasons. During his retirement, his name was frequently used in the paper for his active social life and organizational involvement. At the age of 96, 29 years after his retirement, John died in Fort Benton in 2007.
