Sara Patricia Citizen

Sara Patricia Citizen, 43, of Chugiak, AK died suddenly on July 30, 2025.

A tender soul who could be determined and fearless when she had to be, Sara is remembered for her thoughtfulness, generosity, and creativity. She enjoyed the performing arts and always looked for ways to add beauty to the world while helping others. She will be missed by all who loved her.

Sara was born in Albany, NY in 1982 to Cynthia Jeanne (Waggoner) Hoyt of Delmar, NY and David Richard Hoyt of Voorheesville, NY. A Navy Brat from the age of 18 months, by the time she graduated from William Tennant High School in Warminster, PA in 2000 she had moved no fewer than a dozen times, to include three years in Japan, and attended eight different schools.

During the next several years Sara attended Florida State University (FSU) in Tallahassee, FL and worked at a series of jobs before marrying local resident Steve Santini in 2004 and giving birth to her son Steven Anthony and daughter Roxanne Christina. In 2008 she enlisted in the U.S. Army, and when husband Steve passed away unexpectedly, she became a single mother, continuing to successfully manage her military career while raising her children with love and kindness.

She was an outstanding soldier who rose up through the ranks quickly. Serving in a variety of jobs and locations, including assignments with the elite 82nd Airborne Division and XVIII Airborne Corps, she became a decorated combat veteran of two deployments to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. In 2013 Sara met fellow soldier and the love of her life, Frank Robert Citizen, in Vincenza, Italy, and they were married in February 2016.

After studying at FSU, Georgia Southwestern State University and the University of Oklahoma, Sara earned her Associate of Arts degree with Honors from American Military University in November 2017.

In 2018, while assigned to Fort Sill, OK as a Senior Drill Instructor and later as a Sexual Assault Response Coordinator, Sara, Frank, and the Citizen Family were named the "Fort Sill Family of the Year," an annual award that recognizes community involvement and service. She was honorably discharged as a Sergeant First Class in 2021.

Sara's life after the Army revolved around her children, her husband, and their dogs, Bailey, and Cocoa, while she explored opportunities in the civilian world. She became a certified cosmetologist and started the coursework required to become a phlebotomist.

Sara was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Patricia and Charles Waggoner, paternal grandfather Richard Hoyt, and maternal aunt Colleen Dougan.

She is survived by her children; husband; parents; sisters Amy-Lynn (Joey) Smith and Judi (Alex) Freeland; paternal grandmother Nancy Hoyt; aunts Beth (Larry) Murphy and Christine Fiato; and cousins Stephanie (Scott) Singleman, Audra (Robert) Jones, Bridget M. Cooke, Shawn Maloy, and Cassandra Maloy, in addition to many nieces and nephews, extended family and friends.

Sara will rest among her fellow Veterans in the Houston National Cemetery in Houston, TX.