DAY THIRTY-FIVE:
Once again, we have been reminded of the preciousness of
life and how slender is the thread by which we hold to it. We learned yesterday
that our friend, Sarah Carnahan, died in Sloan-Kettering Hospital in NYC, due
to cancer and other medical complications, this past Tuesday, at the age of 53.
Sarah is the daughter of our dear friends, John and Mary Carnahan, and in age
is just between my children, Betsey and John (who are 55 and 52 respectively).
Sarah and her sister Susan were bridesmaids in Betsey and Rob's wedding.
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We first got to know the Carnahan family when our kids were
in high school. Betsey and Paul, Sarah's brother, were on the high school debate
team together and dated for a while, and our families became good friends. After the kids had left home, Shirley and I would spend every Friday evening
with the Carnahans, watching Washington
Week in Review on TV, and then just visiting, sharing the week's events, and news
of our children. This went on for years. They became virtual family for us. After Shirley died, I still
saw the Carnahans regularly, especially at times when their family would
gather, like Fourth of July, which was something of a tradition. In more recent
years, Ellen has come to know and love them too, and while we don't see them as
often as in earlier years, I still feel very close to them, and we get together
for a meal now and then, talk on the phone, and keep in touch in other ways.
Sarah's death touches us deeply.
Sarah was the very essence of vivacity, joy, caring, outgoingness,
competence. She has been an elementary school teacher in Irvington, NY for over
two decades, and is much loved by her students and fellow teachers. She leaves
her husband, Al Quintero, three beautiful daughters, Anna, Elizabeth and
Natalie, her two siblings, Susan and Paul, and their families, as
well as her parents. We have been blessed to know her, and mourn deeply her
untimely departure from our midst.
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| Sarah Carnahan |
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| Sarah (at right) with her sister-in-law, Eve, at a Fourth of July gathering, 2012. |
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| Gathering in the Carnahan's backyard on the Fourth of July to make home-made ice cream. |
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