Sarah Wilder Johnson

Eulogy from Mark, Sarah's Dad: Sarah was born at Swedish hospital in Denver, Colorado, November 19, 1980. She was a content and happy baby who was enthusiastic about any activity around her. Some of her favorite times were spent in her wind-up swing in the kitchen. She spend a lot of time swinging and eating some mashed foods. One day, she delighted us in speaking her first word ""apple"" or, as she said ""ap-pull."" At age 4 she attended the local kindergarten. She was so sad to leave home, it was a wonder she stayed in class. However, by the end of day she had already decided she was in her element! From then on, it was evident Sarah would always be not only independent, but also a quick study. In her elementary and middle school years she enjoyed social activities, ballet, and was always at the top of her class academically. She was very particular about any detail no matter how small and passionately defensive of her individuality and those she loved. She saw beauty where others missed it. She had a clarity to her views with the strength and willingness to express them. One always knew where Sarah stood! She had a sweet side as well, there was never another who was more animated about anything ""cute,"" be it an object, baby, child, or animal. After graduating from high school, she attended Emily Griffith Opportunity School and received certification as a beautician. In 2005, she met her husband Tim, who enabled her to begin to see the beautiful person she was. In 2008, Tim and Sarah's daughter Ivy was born. With the miracle of Motherhood, Sarah had never been happier! She was a devoted Mother and had a deep love for not only her immediate family, but all her family. Recently, she was completing paralegal studies at CCD with plans to graduate this year. Sarah was often called ""Sarah-belle"" because of her beautiful and affectionate nature. After a brief illness, she passed away peacefully February 11, 2015. Some scattered loving thoughts of Sarah from her mother, Loie: A piece of a poem that always makes me think of her – ""I met a lady in the meads, full beautiful – a faery's child, Her hair was long, her foot was light, And her eyes were wild."" When she was a little girl, my brother wrote, ""Sarah looks as if she has fallen among us mortals from a cloud."" My mother said that Sarah reminded her of Alice in Wonderland. It was never dull to be with her. I always could hardly wait to see her. There were always things I wanted to tell her. She laughed when I told her that I love the song ""Sweet Child of Mine"" by Guns and Roses, because it made me think of her. When she was a teenager and visited my sister and her husband, both artists, in New York, they said she asked the most insightful questions of anyone about their art. My sister said, ""Sarah had such a strong personality. She wasn't like other people who would just be quiet and polite. She was outspoken. You knew she was there."" Other things people have said about her – ""She is charismatic"" ""She is magnetic"" ""She is so full of light"" """"Such a combination of sweetness and a little firecracker"" ""It is her energy that is so intense and remarkable"" ""Dazzling. Her unique light fills the neighborhood."" And another neighbor – ""I just love Sarah. I will really miss her."" She loved passionately, deeply, tenderly. When her little sister, Elizabeth, was born, Sarah absolutely adored her, always has, and showered her with love and attention. And when Ivy was born, it happened all over again, absolute adoration and devotion. A neighbor said it was an incredibly beautiful sight, Sarah pushing Ivy in the stroller, talking away to her, a mother so captivated by her baby. Madonna and Child. I am so thankful for these years she has had with her beloved Tim and Ivy, the happiest, most joyful years of Sarah's life. She loved to write. Even before she was in kindergarten, her father said, ""Just give her a pencil and paper and she is happy."" Sarah did beautiful calligraphy, and somewhere in my home is some she has done with these words of her own – ""Listen, love, if you long for what is past, your longing will be lonely, but if you long for what could be, may your longing be lovely."" A message to us all, written long ago… This is the time she was given. She is the gift we were given. Bless you, beautiful girl, As you bless us. Thank you all so deeply for loving her and being here today. This is a short story by Elizabeth, Sarah's sister: Sarah and I were always trying to get together for various activities but life seemed to get in the way a lot of the time. I really wanted her, Tim and Ivy to make it up to the mountains for a camping trip. James and I loved spending time outside in the mountains & we wanted to share that experience with them. Somehow the plans came together and we made it happen! So here we were in Denver, with two cars loaded to the roof with everything we could possibly need for the trip, a huge tent, sleeping bags x 5, air bed, firewood, enough food to feed an army and even Ivy's Pumpkin the cat. We headed up to the mountains and the weather seemed fine. As we exited towards our campsite a huge bolt of lightening cracked ahead of us, and the heavens opened with one of Colorado's epic rainstorms. We met at the gas station to make one last stop in civilization and grab a few last minute essentials, everyone was positive even though the weather seemed to be trying to stop our plans. The rain became heavier and heavier. As we approached Green Mountain Reservoir some small rocks had started to slide onto the road making our trip even more of an adventure. So we finally made it to the area we thought would be nice to camp at, but sadly all of the spots were taken. We pulled alongside each other and Tim, Sarah and Ivy were still in great spirits and told us that we'd be able to find somewhere. James and I had a favorite camp spot a few miles away that was beside a stream and had some good tree coverage, although not our original plan. As luck would have it our special little camp spot was open so we got busy unpacking the car in the rain. The girls were tasked with making fire and food while the boys had to get the tent ready. The huge tent was quite a challenge to put up but they managed it. In the meantime, Sarah held a tarp over Ivy and I who were getting a fire lit and attempting to grill some hot dogs for everybody. We were also successful in our mission and managed to feed us all and get a great fire going. This was while the boys took an hour trying to pump up the double thick airbed, which didn't want to stay inflated. After we ate our soggy dinner Sarah, Ivy and I climbed into the tent for shelter. The three of us laid there in our sleeping bags and told silly stories. We drifted off to sleep with the sound of the rain pattering down on the tent, it was a very peaceful moment that I'll always remember. When we awoke in the morning it was STILL raining. I was shocked that we hadn't gotten too wet inside the tent. We all sat under the shelter of some pine trees and ate our breakfast. Sarah, of course, had her jug of Starbucks coffee with her, she couldn't have a morning without coffee! We went on a short drive to get out of the rain. There are many moose in the area and we were determined to see one. No moose made appearances but we did see a few deer and some rabbits. We got back to the campsite and the rain stopped! We were delighted, we immediately got out the supplies for making S'mores- a crucial part of camping! We had just enough time to light the fire and roast the marshmallows before the rain started again. I'll always remember this trip with my sister. Sarah was a city girl, she never cared much for the outdoors but she took the time and effort to make this camping trip happen. She stayed positive through the whole ordeal and I think she even enjoyed it! I will miss her dearly but I'm so glad to have this recent memory to hold onto. ~ I will forever miss my sister's wild spirit, vivacious nature & her huge heart. I wish that I could express my thoughts as beautifully as she did, words do not come easily right now. Sarah, I wish that you could have stayed with us much longer, I will love you, always. Please visit the Guestbook link below to share memories of Sarah with her family.