Sarah Martha Newton Sommers

1931 - 2022

SOMMERS, Mrs. Sarah Martha Newton, educator, artist, beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother, died peacefully at home on Friday, May 27, 2022. She was 91 years old.

Sarah was born on April 28, 1931 in Lexington, N.C. The second child of five, Sarah was the daughter of Adrian Jefferson Newton, clerk of N.C. Supreme Court for 39 years, and Lois "Polly" Long Spaugh, an educator. Raised in Raleigh, N.C., Sarah graduated from Needham Broughton High. She attended UNC Greensboro where she graduated with a degree in early childhood education and subsequently, a Masters in Educational Guidance and Counseling from the same university. She married her childhood sweetheart, Richard "Dick" Llewellyn Sommers in June, 1953. They moved to Richmond where Dick attended Union Theological Seminary and Sarah taught at Ginter Park Elementary School. Their early years were busy as Sarah had three children, Sally, Rick and Jeff, born within five years. Dick's career as a minister would see them move to serve congregations in Asheville, N.C., Cheraw, S.C., Lexington, N.C., Fayetteville, N.C. and ultimately, Richmond, Va.

As an educator, Sarah taught in both elementary and middle schools. She also served as an administrator in the Davidson County School system, School Administrator in Fayetteville, N.C. and was a member of the Governor's North Carolina Textbook Commission. She was offered the principalship of an elementary school in Fayetteville, N.C., but although a dream, she declined the offer when she and Dick decided to move to Richmond.

While there was no reciprocity in education licensing from N.C. to Va., Sarah's passion for education was undaunted. She worked tirelessly on committees at Maybeury Elementary School where her fundraising efforts secured computers for the first ever computer lab at Maybeury. She also tutored countless students and additionally started "Elves," her own decorative hand-painted furniture business. She was a long-standing member of River Road Presbyterian Church where Dick served as minister and she assisted on various committees, receiving the honorary Life Membership of the Presbyterian Women in 2019. She served on the Board of Trustees of the Presbyterian School of Christian Education, was a member of Tuckahoe Women's Club and an art contributor to many Richmond art showcases.

She was predeceased by her siblings, Lois Newton Wilson, Adrian Jefferson Newton Jr. and Henry Williams Newton. She is survived by her husband of 69 years, Richard Llewellyn Sommers; her brother, Thomas Spaugh Newton and his wife, Judy; her sister-in-law, Jane Ross Sommers; her children, Sarah ("Sally") LuClare Sommers (Thomas Paul Geiger), Dr. Richard ("Rick") Newton Sommers (Teresa Rhodes Sommers) and Jefferson ("Jeff") Sommers, Md. (Sara Maynard Sommers); her five grandchildren, Richard R. Sommers (Anna), Paul J. Geiger (Margaret), Sara "Sally" C. Sommers, Samuel J. Sommers and Polly G. Sommers; and two great-grandchildren, Thomas H. Geiger and Ellie S. Geiger. Also, she is survived by many beloved relatives from her extended family.

Sarah's life was marked by her vitality and humor, her intelligence and vivaciousness. She was a friend to all, highly creative and well-traveled woman who sought to ensure the rights of others as she publicly advocated during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s and dedicated her time and talent to the field of education. An excellent cook and homemaker, Sarah exemplified hospitality. Many a friend of her children and their children have referred to her as "their second mother or grandmother." With a beauty that shone both inwardly and outwardly, Sarah was equal parts gracious and lovely, playful and fun. Whether dressing up as the Wicked Witch, being crowned as Broughton's Queen of Hearts or Sweetheart at Duke's Sigma Chi Fraternity, preparing delicious southern cooking, crafting prize-winning art, eagerly loving her husband and their extended family, Sarah was the rarest of gems with an effervescent twinkle in her eye, a spicy dash of mischief and a heart of gold.

A service to celebrate her life will be held at River Road Presbyterian Church, 8960 River Road, Richmond, Va. 23229, on Sunday, June 19 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to DES Action USA to support research into effects upon DES-exposed individuals, 228 E. 85th St. Unit K. N.Y., N.Y. 10028 or www.desaction.org or to the Sarah N. Sommers Christian Education Fund at River Road Presbyterian Church.