SARAH DE RIS

1940 - 2021

de RIS, Sarah Friend, Activist, Spiritual Woman Sarah Ashton de Ris (née Briggs) of Boston, MA, died December 25, 2021, at age 81. She had been ill with severe, atypical pneumonia for only a week. She graduated from Cornell University (French Literature), with junior year in Paris, France, at the Sorbonne. She got a Master's Degree (Library Science) and had a fulfilling career at Wheaton College Library, MA. Sarah sought to find meaning in life and to follow her passions. Sarah loved to sing, read and garden. She was a wonderful friend, mother, and grandmother. Her activism was inspiring; no one around Sarah was allowed to be apolitical! In 1963, she motivated her new husband John de Ris to attend the March on Washington where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his "I Have a Dream Speech." She was always active on behalf of the causes she cared so much about. Her concern for social equity and the survival of American democracy permeated everything she did. Later in life, she sought joy, community and spiritual sustenance. She learned Hebrew, traveled to Israel, and there found a new religion, converting to Judaism in mid-life. This gave her a new sense of belonging and she loved her new Jewish community which embraced her so warmly. Later still, she realized she was a lesbian. She came out to family and friends and she lived her life as a member of the committed, courageous, loving, activist, older lesbian community of Greater Boston. She lived her life with pride. She was, and remained, an activist in every true sense of the word until her last breath. Her children and grandchildren hope to continue her legacy of passion, compassion, dedication, and love in the years to come. The relationships in her life were central to her, along with the causes she cared so much about. She was born to Herbert and Virginia Briggs in Ithaca, NY, on January 30, 1940. Survived by her children Renata de Ris Murphy (David) of Chincoteague, VA, Matthew de Ris (Tiffany) of Littleton, CO; her sisters Deborah Fraioli (Anthony) of Boston, Lucinda Briggs of Bellevue, WA; and brother Jeffrey Briggs of Ithaca, NY (Roxana). Extended family: John de Ris (Maria), Owen de Ris, Arva de Ris and Raym de Ris. Sarah's grandchildren are: Jamie, Sean, Cara, Zan and Ashlyn; and she is survived by many nieces and nephews. A Memorial was held at Springhouse in Boston, on December 27, 2021, and another will be held in Ithaca, NY, in the summer. Sarah designated the following organizations for memorial donations: Southern Poverty Law Center, American Jewish World Service or SAGE – Advocacy & Services for LGBT Elders.

View the online memorial for Sarah de RIS