*The below is an adapted version of what was read at Sarah’s Memorial Service in Blackheath. 

Sarah had a gift for making people feel at ease, and of course to make us all laugh, so while we may remember her with a few tears, I really hope that we can remember her with smiles and laughter as well. 

Reading through the entries in this book, a clear pattern of themes emerged, and here are some of the words which came out. 

Sarah was, in no particular order: Loud, Funny, Energetic, Mischievous, Loyal, Caring, Talkative, Committed and Inspirational. 

One that I would add to that list is; playful. As her youngest sibling Sarah always made time to play when I was small. She would create games, make up stories, write poems and draw funny cartoons to keep me amused, she also taught me how to swim – something she was very proud of! That playfulness stayed with her throughout her life and it’s been so great to see again since she became an Auntie to Gwen, Aaron, Alex, Kit and Mayu. 

She was a Godmother to Arthur & Indy, Raphey, Arabella & Teddy, and Bjorn, who shares her birthday. The energy she had to keep up with her nieces, nephews and godchildren is something that has left many of us in awe at times.

Sarah loved her music, and indeed loved to dance. One of my most cherished memories will forever be learning to play the guitar with her. Mum & Dad bought us both guitars the same Christmas and I remember being insanely jealous that Sarah got an electric one while I got the acoustic, and with her being left-handed I couldn’t even borrow hers to try! Not that this stopped Sarah of course, as she tried to teach me how to play it back to front, upside down or any other way just to let her little brother have a go on this electric guitar. 

I’ve been in awe of the journey she has been on. It truly was an amazing one. Born in Scotland and with early years spent between there, Cornwall, Hong Kong and Somerset before finishing her schooling in Devon. Sarah had her ups and downs at school, but she got through it and went off to University in Staffordshire to take American studies and philosophy and spent six months in New York State at Alfred University.

Sarah wasn’t on social media that much, but a quick glance through her facebook page showed that she liked to do little personality tests and share the results. One of these tests told us that Sarah’s dominant trait was love. 

The paragraph that followed said: “Sarah has a heart bigger than the universe, she puts her soul into everything she’s doing and would give her all to keep her loved ones safe and happy. She is a leader, but has no time for drama queens and fakes. Sarah has a heart of gold, but if you abuse her trust she becomes cold like an arctic ocean – beautiful to watch, but incredibly dangerous to mess with.” 

I quite enjoyed reading that, it seemed fairly accurate to me. Another test, entitled “Are you a slacker or workaholic?” stated that Sarah was 1,238% a workaholic. It said: “Sarah, you are a hard worker with a heart bigger than the sun! You are often under a lot of stress because so many people rely on you, but you are always happy to help your loved ones. Your only weakness is that you care too much!” 

At the start of 2023 I read about how: “gratitude is the only emotion that can cut through the black cloud of negative thoughts.” It went on to say that: “Gratitude is a magic emotion. When you feel gratitude, you can’t feel anger or sadness at the same time.”

I will be forever grateful to have had Sarah in my life. She was a wonderful sister to me and my siblings, a wonderful aunty, cousin, colleague, daughter, niece, and friend. 

I love you Le Vog, and will miss you everyday. Your legacy will live on as long as we’re all around, and I promise that Mayu will know all about you.