Sarah Wassermann

Sarah Wassermann Mar. 11, 1920 ~ Sept. 8, 2011 Former Walnut Creek Resident Sarah Wassermann passed away in Seattle on September 8, 2011 at age 91 with her husband Franz at her side. Sarah was born in Cleveland, Ohio to Helen and Frederick Webster. In her early years, she was involved with her extended family which included farmers, scientists and artists. From these influences and those of her mother, a grade school teacher, and her father, a chemical engineer, she developed a lifelong love of learning and of understanding how things worked. The great depression hit her family hard and she learned to be resourceful in times of deprivation and poverty and to have a lifetime of empathy for those going through hard times. During World War II while working as a laboratory technician at the University of Chicago she met and married Franz Wassermann, a physician then in training, who would be her husband of 67 years. They moved to California at the end of the war and soon settled in Walnut Creek. She had a busy and productive young adulthood raising two children and supporting their involvement in a wide range of activities. She did the entire painting and flooring contract labor herself for the home she and Franz helped design. A great deal of her volunteer time was spent producing newsletters for several organizations (North Star Users Group, California Dressage Society, and Concord-Mt. Diablo Trail Ride Association). She played piano and violin and had a beautiful singing voice. She pursued projects with great passion and determination. She was an accomplished horse woman, winning sweepstakes in the first competitive trail riding event she entered, and enjoyed riding for twenty-five years. She also excelled in furniture making, photography and darkroom work, weaving and cloth design. She had a tremendous intellectual curiosity and enriched the understanding of family and friends on many topics through stimulating discussions. She is predeceased by two brothers and survived by her husband, Franz Wassermann, two children, Paul Wassermann and Margie Bone, five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held in Walnut Creek at some later date. Donations in her memory may be made to Putnam Clubhouse (for people with mental illness), 3024 Willow Pass Rd, Suite 230, Concord CA 94519, (925) 691-4276 www.putnamclubhouse.org. Arrangements by People's Memorial Funeral Cooperative, Seattle www.funerals.coop.