Sarah Nielsen King

March 15, 1934 - May 15, 2024

Sarah grew up in Los Gatos, CA, the daughter of Hans Elle Nielsen of Denmark and Sadie Elizabeth Starkie Nielsen of New York. Hans owned and operated a creamery named Eatmore Ice Cream, and Sarah retained her love of that food until the very end of her life. Her love for travel began at a young age when she visited relatives in Denmark, England, and Ireland. She attended Whittier College so that she could take her Junior year abroad in Switzerland. She entertained hopes of working for the UN and once met Madeline Albright. She enjoyed traveling and visited many countries in Europe, South America, North America, Asia, and North Africa. A graduate of Los Gatos High School and Whittier College in California, Sarah possessed a keen intellect and an insatiable curiosity about the world. She was pursuing a Masters Degree in Political Science at Stanford University when her husband, Richard, was drafted and deployed to Germany. But leaving school to live overseas did not end her education; she was a lifelong learner and read copiously about the many things that interested her, including history, anthropology, natural history, astronomy, philosophy, art, the environment, social justice, psychology, archeology, etc. She also read classical and modern literature, and she especially enjoyed Tony Hillerman and Agatha Christie mysteries. After raising a family, Sarah entered the work force. She stayed with the first company that hired her, Tandem Computers, even when that company became Compaq. She started as an executive secretary and retired as a technical editor of computer installation and maintenance manuals. A most generous person by nature, Sarah enjoyed supporting the people and organizations who are doing good works in her community and in the world. She was a lifelong supporter of public radio and public TV. She was a member of the MIM and the Heard Museum here in Phoenix. She was for many years a docent at the Haggin Museum in Stockton, CA. She donated to organizations that support environmental restoration and justice, civil and human rights, animal welfare, and community well-being. It was important to her to help make the world a safer, healthier, happier place. She never stopped working to make a better future for all of us. Sarah was a very loving person who possessed a generous heart and a kind soul. She was always gracious and gentle. She was loved by all who knew her. Sarah is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Lisa King, daughter and son-in-law, Liz King Salz and Max Salz, grandson Taylor King, and granddaughters Kaelyn King and Jamie Berdiner. Sarah’s remains will be composted, then used for environmental restoration on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State.