Sara Ann Friedman

Sara Ann Friedman passed away peacefully in the afternoon of December 27, 2022 at the age of 87 after a bout of COVID and complications from diabetes. She was surrounded by family members and the love of so many people she has touched over her lifetime.
Born in 1935, Sara grew up in New York City, daughter of Daniel and Ruth Riesner, and younger sister to Gordon.
Sara led an incredibly vibrant, colorful and adventurous life. Being a mom was probably not her first career choice, but back in the 50s that's what was expected of her. Married at 23, she had three kids by the age of 27. And then the 60s hit and Sara – who was an explorer and adventurer at heart -- joined in full force, her inner feminist unleashed--writing a book for young women on how to find career paths and fighting for her seven-year-old daughter to play in the after-school all boys baseball game.
She became an activist of all sorts, advocating for women and girls at the UN and UNICEF at conferences and through articles and newsletters, joining civil rights marches in Washington DC, and always speaking up for what she believed was right. She was the first in her upper west side neighborhood to recycle when it was first introduced, she volunteered at the Bronx zoo for years, always remembering to stop on her way home at Arthur Avenue in the Bronx to pick up authentic Italian ingredients for Wednesday night lasagna, published five more books on an eclectic range of topics – including policing in NYC, the joys of mushroom hunting, and thoughts on progressive parenting. She came full circle with her last one, again focusing on women and work some thirty years after women entered the workforce in droves.
She was always up for an adventure, egging her kids to climb the Mayan temples in the Yucatan Peninsula, jumping in the hot springs and then the freezing Salmon River immediately after, and globetrotting over the years to Cuba, Kenya, China, Haiti, Slovenia, and many other off-the-beaten-path places. With her husband, she created a fun and loving home, letting her kids go free range while reminding them to always see the bigger picture, advocate for themselves, and speak up for those who could not. Her kids were on the receiving end of the famous red editing pen, though they now credit their mom and dad for at least some of their writing abilities.
She opened her home to countless people who needed a place where they could feel safe and be heard. Kids from all over sat with Sara, sharing their innermost thoughts to an adult without batting an eye. To this day, many of them remember Sara as someone who helped them immensely in a time of need, while being the coolest mom around.
Sara had many loves - from wild mushrooms to genealogy, the theater, shoes and handbags, good books, good cheese, good coffee, and good red wine, to religiously reading the NY Times and listening to c-span every day - her passions were never ending!
In her later years, she turned much of her attention to her four grandchildren, reveling in their youthful joy and amazed at how quickly they each grew into independence. Whether traveling to Kenya, watching weekly soccer games, scouring animal encyclopedias, or discussing the inner workings of iphones, much of her attention moved to the younger generation.
If this life story seems rambling and a bit chaotic and disorderly, it is no accident. That was Sara - not a linear thinker, but someone who valued love, commitment to her passions, and always speaking her own truth--those are the ideals she lived by and passed on to others. Sara was always a fighter - whether against the injustices committed against girls and women across the globe, or the ravages of time that slowly robbed her of her health - she never quit fighting.
Sara is survived by her three children, Eric, Diana, and Michael, her grandchildren, Naomi, Jordi, Ilan and Liza, her son-in-law Xabier Martinez, and daughter-in-law Donna Frankel.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to a small organization in Kenya called Future African Leaders Project that helps children in Kenya afford school while providing them with leadership development training. https://www.gofundme.com/f/transform-lives-of-childrenyouth
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