“Dick” Sarns
1927–2026
Devoted Husband, Innovator, Servant-Leader
Dick Sarns passed away on Sunday, April 19, 2026, at age ninety-eight. He was an engineer and entrepreneur, yet he is best remembered as a devoted husband to his beloved wife of seventy-four years, Norma. They shared a beautiful and adventurous life together.
Dick married Norma Dubuque on August 2, 1952, and they made their home in Ann Arbor, Michigan. While raising two sons and founding and running businesses together, their dedication to each other was unparalleled. Dick treasured every day with his best friend, and he devoted much of his later years to helping Norma maintain an active lifestyle with multiple sclerosis.
Born June 20, 1927, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, Dick served in the U.S. Navy during World War II and was stationed in Japan after the war. Returning home, he took classes at Lawrence Tech and the University of Michigan while working at Argus Camera Company, Buhr, and Strand Engineering. When he designed and built a house for his family on Hewett, he included a workshop that became the first headquarters of Sarns, Incorporated.
Founded in 1960, Sarns, Inc., designed and produced medical devices to assist rapid advances in surgical knowledge. Dick’s first inventions were a sternal saw for heart surgery and the Dingman mouth gag that is still used today in cleft palate surgery. The company made its mark with the heart-lung machine used in open-heart surgery. Sarns heart-lung machines, built in a factory on Jackson Rd., ultimately served more than a million heart patients worldwide. A Sarns machine was used in the world’s first heart transplant and in the first artificial heart transplant. When Dick and Norma sold Sarns, Inc. to 3M in 1981, they ensured that all 200 employees kept their jobs and profit-sharing plans.
Dick and Norma’s next company was NuStep, Inc., founded with their son Steve, to design and build a “total body recumbent stepper,” an exercise machine for people of all abilities. The Sarns family constructed manufacturing and office buildings on Venture Dr. for 100 employees, and sold NuStep products to health facilities, gyms, and private homes around the world. Dick led NuStep, Inc. as president and CEO until he was ninety and sold the company in 2017. He continued going to the family office, working with his sons, until his last days.
An avid volunteer, Dick actively assisted many community nonprofits, including the Michigan Technology Fair, Washtenaw Technical Middle College, the Ann Arbor Hands-On Museum, Packard Health, and United Methodist Retirement Communities, plus his church, West Side United Methodist. Dick received an honorary doctorate degree in engineering from the University of Michigan in 2012 and from Eastern Michigan University in 1980.
Dick enjoyed boating, kayaking on the Huron River, nature photography, and running 10Ks. One of his favorite refrains was “To be continued …” He left behind a powerful example of a life of purpose and integrity, two companies that are still going strong, and contributions to many organizational missions that will make a difference for generations to come. We can all agree that his life’s work is, indeed, “To be continued.”
Dick is survived by his wife, Norma; sons David Sarns and Steven Sarns; daughter-in-law, Lori Sarns; grandchildren Danielle, Austin, Joey, and Megan; siblings Theodore Sarns and Marilyn Williams; and many beloved nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Richard Thomas and Blanche Miller Sarns, and his brothers William Sarns and Harold Sarns.
A private family memorial will be held. Friends and family are welcome to contact Norma to share condolences and memories. Remembrances: gifts can be made in honor of Dick Sarns to either University of Michigan Health Frank-el Cardiovascular Center, Department of Cardiac Surgery, 777 E. Eisenhower Pkwy., ste. 650, Ann Arbor, MI 48108 or the American Heart Association, 26555 Evergreen Rd., ste. 570, Southfield, MI 48076.