Sarah Ann Heilbron, a teacher and educator for nearly 25 years in Baltimore, died September 16, 2022 from ovarian cancer. She was 55. A brilliant writer, poet, and creative thinker, she inspired others with her vision of a better future.

Born and raised in San Francisco, she made life-long friends and excelled academically at Katherine Delmar Burke School and San Francisco University High School. She moved to the East Coast where she earned a Bachelor's degree in English from Williams College and a Master's degree in English and Language Arts from Howard University. She returned to California to teach high school English in Inglewood, but after a few years, she missed the seasons and friends she'd made back East and moved to Baltimore, where she put down roots.

With her welcoming smile, sparkling blue eyes, and "bedazzled" nails, her friends, colleagues, and students remember her as having the kindest of spirits. Although she taught at several Baltimore schools and recalled each of them fondly, her heart was at Mervo, where she was affectionately known as "Ms. H." While genuinely supportive and kind, she had the strength and determination of a warrior; she was a fierce advocate for her students, social justice, and those less fortunate.

The best kind of friend, she went out of her way to help, often putting the needs of others before her own. Even during her illness she was always there for her friends, whether it was supporting them at a school site, editing a friend's "parent essay" for a high school application, or giving advice about a difficult relationship.

Sarah's unwavering compassion and love for animals was evident to all who knew her, but there was a special place in her heart just for cats. Cats seemed to magically appear at her front door, as if they somehow knew she would help them, and, of course, she always did. Her precious cat, Amana, and the neighborhood strays will feel her loss.

Sarah is survived by her mother, Nancy Heilbron, her sisters Lauren Rubin and Ellen Schupbach, her beloved partner, Adrian Barber, her uncle, John Heilbron, her cousin, Diane Dovebish, and a host of friends who loved her dearly. A beautiful and generous spirit who left this earth too soon, she will forever live in our hearts.

Viewing will be Sept 30th from 4:30-7:00 pm. with services held Saturday, October 1st at 2:00 p.m. at:

Vaughn Greene Funeral Home

8728 Liberty Road

Randallstown, Maryland 21133

To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.

Published by Baltimore Sun on Sep. 27, 2022.

Memories and Condolences
for Sarah Heilbron

Sponsored by The Baltimore Sun.

16 Entries

Nicole S.

July 24, 2025

It´s hard to believe it´s been almost three years since you left us, Sarah. Some days, it still doesn´t feel real. I catch myself reaching for my phone to send you a book rec, a funny meme, or a line from a poem. I hear a song and immediately think, Sarah would´ve had the perfect remix for this. You had a tune for everything and a light for everyone.

We met through our work in Baltimore City Schools, but what we built went far beyond coaching and curriculum. You became my sister-friend. We bonded over everything; poetry nights, shopping trips, English units, book clubs, sleepovers, vacations, and long conversations that stretched well into the night. I still laugh thinking about your bedazzled nails wrapped around a mug while Shadow or Amana weaved between our legs, those little cat nieces of mine who you loved like your children.

You were brilliant, Sarah, so smart, so deeply thoughtful, but you never led with ego. You led with heart. With kindness. With deep, unwavering love. You lived your values out loud, your love for Black literature, Black joy, Black freedom, and justice showed up in everything you did. You fought for your students and held your friends close. You saw people, really saw them, and that´s why I loved you so much.

Your joy: your love of music, your fierce loyalty, your perfectly placed sarcasm, your dedication to cats and plants and soft things. You created a life that was both gentle and powerful. You were the kind of person who would nurse a dying orchid back to life, or take in a stray cat and name it something regal. Your spirit was deeply rooted in nature; earthy, sacred, nurturing.

Even when you were sick, you still showed up for everyone else. You were editing my resume, giving advice, checking in, cheering me on. That´s who you were. That´s who you are.

There´s a line that always makes me think of you: "I carry your heart with me (I carry it in my heart)" -e.e. cummings

And I do. I carry your heart with me in every lesson I teach, every book I open, every flower I plant, every cat I feed. You´re in the rhythm of my days, woven into the fabric of who I am.

But most of all, I picture you now exactly as you would´ve wanted, resting peacefully in a field of glory. Surrounded by wildflowers, music playing softly in the breeze, sunlight on your face, your hands cradling a cat (or several), your soul at ease.

Take your rest, my sweet, beautiful friend. You gave me (us all) so much. You are deeply missed. You are forever loved. And you will always live in my heart.

With all my love

Felicity Stanley

May 13, 2024

I met Ms H. , as we affectionately called her, in Inglewood Ca at a continuation high school called Hillcrest High School in 1991. Ms H was passionate about teaching and wanted her students to excel.
I can recall how she helped me get into Clark Atlanta University which was a dream come true. She believed in me even when I didn´t believe in myself. She is one of the main people I can attribute my graduating from high school to. I wanted to throw in the towel but she encouraged me to Finish and that I did!
As I see written by others she helped me write my college entrance paper and take the SAT. If I remember correctly she taught an SAT prep class at the high school.
She visited me in my group home and kept telling me that I could make it! I will forever remember this kind woman.
One of my classmates just told me of her passing today which I regret to hear. I hope her family and friends can remember her by the impact she made in this world. I will for sure. Rest in Peace Ms H

Michael Calligeros

May 22, 2023

I had the pleasure of meeting Sarah when we were both college students working for MassPirg in CapeCod in the summer of 1988 (i think). A group of us lived in a great big house in East Dennis. Sarah was a beautiful soul. Kind and mature for her years, she was a lovely prescence in our lives that summer. Positive and kind. Sorry to hear that she passed away so young.

Michelle Sullivan

October 3, 2022

Sarah and I met in 4th grade at an all-girl elementary school in San Francisco. She was a short blond kid with freckles and an easy smile, who was absolutely crazy about horses. She also liked to draw--mostly pictures of her horse, Snooks. She would sign her name "Snooks & Sarah" and circle it with a heart. I was a shy kid at a new school and was intimidated by most of the other girls in my class who seemed so polished and sure of their place. But Sarah was different; she was kind. I could also tell right away this girl was SMART. She blew me away with her understanding of new concepts, sophisticated vocabulary, and uncanny ability to speak and understand French, all without breaking a sweat. I think on some level I was confused as to why this girl-who seemed so capable and sure of who she was-would want to be my friend.

In fifth grade, Sarah befriended another new kid at school named, Alex, and by the following year the three of us were inseparable. We called ourselves "M.A.S." ("M-A-S, short for Michelle, Alex, and Sarah). We created our own comic strips and games-Air Tag and Gutter Ball are two I remember well-wrote and performed skits, found empty classrooms where we acted out French dramas inspired by characters from class, and explored the untamed Presidio woods. At Sarah´s urging we´d jump into puddles and then chant "dry, dry, dry," almost believing the power of our words. We fantasized about the future and plotted against imaginary enemies while sitting on the "Generator," a large metal box bordering the Presidio Wall at the end of 5th and Lake Streets. We laughed endlessly at inside jokes, and somehow through it all managed to stay-mostly-out of trouble. Together we lived and played in our imaginations, safe and secure, us against the world.

In 6th or 7th grade, during a class trip to Baker Beach we discovered a reclusive author named, Mervin Kook Whitewash. I suspect not many are familiar with his work, since he only shares it with a select few. And, as luck would have it, we were part of that exclusive group. Sarah, Alex and I became Mr. Whitewash´s disciples of sorts, spreading his cryptic messages among our surprisingly gullible classmates. We thought we were so cool. One of Sarah´s favorite Whitewash sayings was this: "Life is a beach and you are a grain of sand." As Sarah would say, "Wow, that´s deep."

Sarah, Alex and I followed each other to high school where it became harder to live in our imaginations. Sarah struggled to find her way, but true to form she still aced her classes, impressed her teachers, and lead a winning cross-country team. With her unfailing kindness and sheer determination she kept our friendship alive. We sat on the floor of her room listening to The Tusk album by Fleetwood Mac, rows of plastic horses looking down on us from her bookshelves. We harmonized to Beatles songs, walked her dogs, Jakey, Hildy and Boo, went running before school-I walked, she ran-and clung to each when things got rough.

Although we went to different colleges, we wrote letters and saw each when we could. She stood by my side at my wedding and held my new baby girl. She listened to me cry and complain and rage during a difficult divorce and was there for me again when I struggled as a single parent. She had a way of listening without judgment and giving spot-on advice. Sometimes advice I didn´t want to hear. But love and compassion were always beneath her words.

As adults we lived on opposite coasts, but we managed to stay connected. I remember in the late 90´s or early 2000s going to an open mike here in Baltimore where Sarah performed one of her poems. And just like when we were kids, I was blown away by her talent. There were times I shared my writing with her, despite knowing she was way out of my league. When I did, she would give me feedback as if I were her equal. It did wonders for my confidence. I can only imagine what an inspiring teacher she must have been. She certainly taught me.

Looking back on our childhood, the letters and emails she wrote me through the years, and our many conversations, I see now that Sarah understood early on what a gift our friendship was, something that took me longer to realize. But Sarah was patient with me. I think she knew I would get it eventually. And I did. The older we got I realized she wasn´t just my friend, she was my sister. Whether we were binge-watching Stranger Things, griping about politics or discussing the latest book we´d read, being with Sarah always felt like home.

I think it was Sarah who gave me the nickname "Miche," and I will forever miss hearing her say it. Even when she wasn´t feeling well, she always made me feel special and loved. I know how lucky I am to have been her friend. I love her so much.

Michelle (Miche) Sullivan

Shreerekha Pillai Subramanian

October 2, 2022

I have known Sarah for more years in my life now than I have not known her. The rest of my life will be richer for the years she gave me, shared with me, and left in my heart the echo of her high-pitched silly chuckle that could emanate for a number of reasons - her favorite R&B song on the radio, a new cat picture on the screen or her horizon, crepe myrtles in bloom on her porch, stories about my children or success stories of her students and colleagues, Stranger Things, and the list goes on. Her laugh, a cerulean blue like her eyes that changed with the season, and her favorite dresses, was blue. It was able to absorb the melancholy of the world and turn it into the sheer joy of the moments we had. I will spend a long time deciphering all that Sarah taught me for the past 30 years but suffice it to say, her lesson plans for me were endless and they started on a fateful day in the Third Ward in Houston, at Yates High School where she spotted me amidst the crowd of exhausted confused and lost first year TFA teachers, and said, "She´s going with me to Baltimore!"

I followed her like a duckling or a mouse, our rooms next to each other at Southwestern High and very quickly I realized, she pretty much knew everything - the kids, the best practices of teaching, how to earn respect, and inspire, and she had the most solid lesson plans. We spent evenings and weekends together, I learning from her the secret sauce of teaching, some of which involved some shady hustles - we spent many a weekend on the main office in North Avenue using the machines that we did not have at our school and always upon leaving, she tucked at least a ream of paper in my backpack. As my mentor with the bigger backpack (she was also the track coach, so her bags always could fit enough to go for a weekend camping trip), she carried two which somehow eased my alarm while committing theft. And the little time we had left over - we found the best chicken wing places, and shopped for pretty dresses, and talked about men - we both had our trying years and we spent a lot of those together.

Lots of heartbreak, tears, but all of it always framed by Sarah´s infectious laugh, and her mood that could soar with just the right song on the right radio station. After Sarah and Baltimore, I traveled to different cities, met new friends, men, had more heart break, went through trials, gained knowledge, and grew, and all the while, in the hardest moments in my life, I knew how to lift myself out of darkness - with a laugh and song. Her small size belied the power she carried within, and I took lessons from that. In the trying period of her illness, as she became even more slight, strangely enough, her light shone all the brighter.

My son, who had the blessing to spend time with her this summer, taking greater care of her small army of feral cats and Amana, noticed it too. Afterwards anytime he listens to Lupe Fiasco (Tupac for me) or my daughter talks about running, they smile, giggle, hum, pause, and right then, I am next to Sarah, absorbing and reflecting her light in a lifelong friendship that feels pure and good and beautiful.

To her mother and sisters, to the one and only Adrian, to her friends here in town, Tricia and Tonya and Barbara and so many friends, students, and community, thank you for being her constants and keeping her buoyed. To Adrian, my gratitude to you is infinite for sharing Sarah with me so generously, and considerately.

Heaven with Sarah has to be blanketed in flowers, plenty of blue and lavender blossoms, water, a coastline that is infinite and cats who saunter about running the place, and I imagine, even her rest involves some excellent lesson plans that will shower glow and glitter on our lives, just at the moments when we need her most, and pause to recollect her humming to a song, and laughing into the skies below with her head tossed back.

To Sarah, the one who listened to all my poems with love and recited all of hers to me, I leave you with Rumi, the beloved voice of love across time and space:

Your body is away from me
but there is a window open
from my heart to yours.
From this window, like the moon
I keep sending news secretly.

Valerie Matthews

October 1, 2022

Praying for you family! Very sweet woman

Malikah (Cowles) Wallace

October 1, 2022

I met Ms. H in 1994 as my English teacher and she later became my track coach. She was influential in a traumatic moment of my life and I´ll never forget her thoughtfulness and love for checkers fries lol. Praying for her family and friends whose lives she´s impacted. Rest on Ms. H .

Valerie Stamper and Keith Daye

Planted Trees

Tonya Carter

September 30, 2022

Sarah was an extremely talented educator who served in many positions spanning over 20 years in Baltimore City. She taught and served in leadership roles at Southwestern, New Era Academy, North Bend Elementary/Middle and Mergenthaler Vocational Tech (Mervo). She also coached the track team at Mervo, which is not hard to imagine to anyone who knew Sarah. She had to run every day. After serving several years as a teacher and school based ELA lead, Sarah was ready to take a leadership role at the district level.

Sarah´s expertise as an English teacher was well known and she was quickly promoted to a position in the Office of Literacy as an Area Lead Coach where she served for several years until she accepted a position as an Education Program Specialist working with the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). While she liked being able to affect change in the lives of students in the state of Maryland, she longed to return to Baltimore where she could have a direct positive impact on students and teachers as was her life´s passion.

The stars aligned and she returned to Baltimore City as a district administrator. Sarah served for 8 years as the Literacy Academic Content Liaison for many Networks in the Office of Schools Support where she used her exemplary skills to advocate for equity and academic excellence for the students, not only in the schools she supported, but all high school students across the district. Sarah believed that all students could achieve great things when given the opportunity. Even as she dealt with the struggles of cancer, she never wavered on her determination to give her very best to the students and staff with whom she worked. Her excellence as an ACL was only surpassed by her awesomeness as a friend. She was the best friend/coworker you could ever hope to be blessed to work beside. Humble, always giving of herself, never seeking glory and recognition to have her name in the spotlight. Sarah was like water, gently running over you, never pushy or forceful, and what you never realized is the change she affected while working with you. I am not the same person after knowing a friend like her.

Sarah used to always say, "Come on TT, I bet you a million dollars", but I would never bet. Well, today Sarah I bet you a million dollars that you don't know how many lives you enriched during your short time on this Earth. We are better people having had the opportunity to know and work with you. You will be missed beyond measure. Take your rest, my friend, your work here is done.

Tonya Carter

Planted Trees

Alex Huneeus

September 28, 2022

I remember the day I met Sarah. It was my first day at Burkes - a new school in a new city, in a fairly new country. Sarah walked in with a bandana over her hair, wearing a Dottie Doolittle multi-colored sweater over her middy and a faded yellow overflowing backpack - totally out of uniform. I was disappointed when they told me she would be my guide that week. I wanted one of the more neatly dressed girls. But by recess she had won me over with her kindness and spirit and Oreo cookies. I soon came to love and admire her. Deeply. Sarah reshaped who I was and would become.

Sarah was good at everything, and still she was humble. She was, until 8th grade, the top student in our class without even studying, and often amazed our teachers with her questions. She was one of the top two cross-country runners in the county when we were in 7th and 8th grade. She had a wall covered with ribbons she won in horseshows. She had an amazing ear and was in the select chorus in 5th grade and skipped a year in French at UHS. She was a fast and insatiable reader with an effortless memory. I once heard her recite by heart the whole first chapter of Amelia Bedelia, which she had absorbed just from having read it so many times. She knew all the words to songs she liked and to poems like All Creatures Great and Small (one of her favorite book series).

But what struck me the most was how Sarah fearlessly followed her conscience. When I arrived at Burkes I tried hard to fit in and follow rules. But Sarah wasn´t bothered with that. She had such a strong voice inside of her about what was good and just that it was, it seems, the only one she heeded. In 7th grade she led us in a boycott. Sarah told Mrs. Reb that we were conscientious objectors and refused to dissect frogs. Mrs. Reb had a soft spot for Sarah and let us sit it out and read quietly.

And Sarah was kind to others. In sixth grade, Michelle´s buddy Teresa left, and so she joined us and we became an inseparable three. School could be a tough place at that age, but I think we thrived by sticking together. It was our motto - and again I think this all came from Sarah - that we would befriend and be nice to all the friendless and excluded kids in our class. It seems silly now since maybe we were our own clique. But the spirit of caring for others and especially those who didn´t fit in, that always came from Sarah.

Sarah taught me not to kill bugs and to help animals in distress. She taught me that grades and conforming were not that important - having adventures outside in the Presidio was very important. She taught me that if there is a body of water, you have to jump in it no matter how small and muddy or big and turbulent (one of my favorite Burkes memories is walking back from a Bakers Beach field trip in our sopping wet uniforms). And she taught me to follow my conscience even when it makes others uncomfortable.

I am grateful to Sarah, and grateful that we were able to reconnect during the pandemic. By friendship and example she reshaped who I was and became. My heart goes out to Mrs. Heilbron, Lauren, and Ellen (lovely Ellen who so often joined us in our adventures and play) - we have lost an amazing person.

Nathaniel

September 28, 2022

I met Sarah at Williams. We both came in as transfers, and I was happy to discover that she was in education, as I am (in DC). I regret never having reconnected with her. I remember her as always smiling and being kind.

Veronica Kogler

September 28, 2022

I knew Sarah since Kindergarten in San Francisco. Sarah and I shared the bond of being the middle of three daughters. At Burke's, we became fast friends as Sarah was so nice and fun. Besides being a very nice person with a big heart for other people and animals, Sarah was so good at everything she did. She was extremely smart (I recall that she excelled in English and French), talented (Select Chorus) and athletic (cross country star, field hockey, swimmer). Last year, Sarah told me of her new love of gardening, too.

Everyone who knew her will remember Sarah for being such a kind, gentle and giving person and her love of animals. Sadly, she has left us too soon. Sarah, rest in peace.

Ms. Daniels

September 27, 2022

Sarah was a kind soul. She supported so many school leaders, teachers and students over the years. I called her Sarah Jane (from the movie Imitation of Life). She rarely got upset and always had something nice to say. She wanted everyone to excel and be great. She was a phenomenal educator who will be deeply missed. Rest well Sarah Jane. Until we meet again. Love, Ms. Daniels

Jennifer Reese

September 26, 2022

The loveliest person, truly. I met her when I was about 6 and she was maybe 4 because her original cat -- the beautiful Smoky -- had kittens and we adopted one. I remember sitting in that dark closet with her and those kittens and becoming friends. So true about her love of animals. Sarah was brilliant -- she had all the talents! Piano, singing, French, running, riding, there wasn't anything she wasn't good at -- but she was also deeply, deeply kind. Why is that such a rare combination? I don't think I've met anyone quite like her. What a terrible loss.

Dawn

September 26, 2022

Sarah was the kindest and sweetest person. I didn´t know her for long, but in our short meetings, she was always smiling. She has given me many cards filled with gratitude and nice words. She was truly one of a kind and I´m blessed to have known her.

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