Sarah Thorn

Girdwood resident Sarah "Saree" Langner Thorn, 25, died Thursday, June 18, 2009, of a hemorrhagic stroke while hiking on the Devil's Creek Trail in the Kenai Mountains. Sarah was born July 16, 1983, and raised in the foothills of Whatcom County, Washington. She attended Mount Baker High School in Deming, Wash., where she enjoyed choir and drama. She obtained a bachelor's degree in women's studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia. Sarah was remembered by professors to be a thoughtful, talented student whose writings and reflections on social justice far surpassed the norm. As a student, Sarah volunteered at a free children's lunch center in Santo Tomas, Nicaragua, under the auspices of the Thurston-Santo Tomas Sister County Association. Sarita, as everyone called her, developed rich ties with the community there. In 2005, Sarah joined the Jazz and Heritage Foundation construction "krewe" in New Orleans. To honor Sarah, her former krewemates are planning a gospel tribute during Jazz Fest 2010. In 2006, Sarah moved to Girdwood, where she found happiness in playing, working and sharing innumerable meals with Gerrit, friends, and family. Sarah had been accepted into the University of Alaska Anchorage nursing program, which she was planning to start in fall 2010. Her family wrote: "Sarah, with the certain gait of an old soul, lived life to its fullest with a calm and deliberate style and candid sense of humor that endeared her deeply to her beloved family and friends. Her nonjudgmental kindness was impressionable to many, and her unique ability to communicate love, while expressing an unwavering commitment to justice, inspired all who knew her well." Sarah's family and friends feel a hole in their hearts that will never be filled, but are blessed to have had the gift of Sarah's presence, laughter and example in their lives. She is survived by her parents, Diane Scoffield Thorn and Stephen Ford Thorn; her beloved companion of four years, Gerrit J. Van Schaick; sister, Marie Shanti Ruth Thorn; brother-in-law, David B. Williams; maternal grandfather and his wife, James and Karen Scoffield, and 64 aunts, uncles and cousins. In an effort to perpetuate Sarah's commitment to social justice, Gerrit and her family are directing contributions to St. Thomas Community Health Center, 1020 St. Andrew St., New Orleans 70130; www.stthomaschc.org and Thurston-Santo Tomas Sister County Association, P.O. Box 561, Olympia WA 98507, www.olywip.org/site/page/topic/nicaragua.html, www.lincoln.osd.wednet.edu/1our_approach/ruben_diario