One of my fondest memories of Sara is of the first time I met her. She came up to my desk at the Fernandina Beach Branch Library, with a twinkle in her eye and a huge smile, and said that she wanted to volunteer. What could she do? What couldn’t she do! Sara was so enthusiastic, fun and creative. With a very, young Emma and Meg in tow, Sara put her inventive talents to work creating many, imaginative library displays, plus writing an original chant and routine for the library’s drill cart team entry for the Shrimp Festival parade. With Fond Memories and Sincere Sympathy, Janet Loveless Retired, Assistant Library Director Nassau County Public Library System

Sara came into my life because of our daughters, Meg and Liv, meeting in pre-k. I remember hearing that her family had just moved to Montvale after being displaced by the hurricane. None of us could have known then how deeply our lives would become connected. It started simply — talking on the playground after pickup while the girls played. Somewhere in those conversations, we decided to form a Daisy troop for the girls. And from that day on, we became Girl Scout leaders together all the way through eighth grade. Sara and I made such a great team. We were creative together, always coming up with ideas for meetings, projects, trips, and badges. But what I remember most is how much we laughed. There was always laughter with Sara. We took the girls to the lake, camping, on field trips, and through countless adventures. Those years were filled with friendship, chaos, creativity, and joy — and Sara made all of it fun. Olivia loves her so much as well. And our friendship grew far beyond scouting. When my husband, Liv’s father, died, Sara became one of the people who carried my family through that heartbreak. She showed up with love, support, humor, and friendship when we needed it most. Some of my happiest memories are the simple, joyful ones we shared together — driving topless in her red Jeep, doing pool calisthenics in her backyard, Christmas caroling, throwing themed parties, and just enjoying our children, our town, and our families together. Sara had a way of making life feel lighter and more fun. She was a wonderful friend, a devoted mother, and someone who brought people together naturally. I will always be grateful that a conversation on a playground turned into decades of friendship, laughter, and love. She will be deeply missed, and forever remembered. Love forever , Doreen , LIV and Paul too Hope your dancing with Gary in Heaven ❤️

Sara was a loving, gracious and intelligent woman. I was so impressed when I met her in 2024. I was dating her widowed father and she couldn't have been kinder to me or more open to getting to know me. It was an amazing event for me. Overtime, I was blessed to enjoy her intelligence and sense of humor. She is missed and will always be remembered.

Eternal rest grant unto her, O Lord and let perpetual light shine upon her. May she rest in peace. Amen. Some years ago now, our family gathered for a reunion. From far and wide family members came for days of music, mirth, laughter, songs, games and more. The occasion prompted the organizers of the event to think that a compilation of family recipes into a cookbook would be a good thing. And so it was. That heirloom of recipes, stories and love came to be because of Sarah. Indeed, this treasure would never have been without her love and her powerful gifts that better writers than I have recounted here. Thank you, Sara. Godspeed, dear one. My deepest condolences to Kevin, Emma and Meg.

I was lucky enough to get to met and work with Sara in Montvale. She was/is a boss. She was dedicated to the students, staff, and success of the entire community. She made a name for herself in a new spot, as she had a nack for doing. She made me feel welcomed in a new school of which I knew little about. She made sure every student and staff member had a place in her classroom. Despite grading tons of papers or reviewing tons of data, she always took time to let me feel comfortable and learn from her. DeLange is a wonderful friend who after we both left Montvale would still invite my family down to Floridia to see her. We weren't able to go but the offer was always extended. She reminded me as a person to be kind, supportive, and always look to help others. As a teacher/co-worker, her impact on me was tremendous. I still steal her lessons, ideas, and thought process to become better as a teacher. I will forever miss her as a friend and a partner in crime at school. Slainte, McEneaney, Ar an Dheis De go raibh a h-anam. .

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I work with Kevin and recently had the pleasure of meeting Sara during our company holiday party in January. I immediately felt the joyful energy that Sara carried and truly enjoyed learning about her career in solid waste engineering. My sincere condolences go out to Kevin and the rest of the De Lange / McEeaney family during their time of mourning.

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Sara was a truly wonderful educator and an even better person. She was genuinely kind and thoughtful, and she will be missed.

Mrs. De Lange was such a kind, compassionate, and loving ray of sunshine. From every visit during Meg's time at Clemson she brought the spirit, passion, and of course, witty jokes. I will never forget all of the fun facts she would share with us over the phone during our long car rides visiting new cities in the south (especially Nashville of course). She instilled so much wisdom and love within her two daughters and it was an absolute honor and privilege to have known Mrs. De Lange and share amazing memories with her. Her unwavering love will be with her family forever and she has left such an incredible legacy. May her soul rest in beautiful peace, we will miss her greatly.

Sara was such a kind, and selfless individual. I was lucky to get to work with her for years at Fieldstone Middle School. I will always remember her huge smile, her warm demeanor, and her love of puns. I would always come to her room to see if I could guess her riddle/pun of the day. My favorite was when she dressed as a “numberjack” for Halloween, and carried two axes labeled X and Y. You were always there fore everyone and I will miss you deeply.

Aunt Sara!! An incredible, thoughtful, kind hearted, fun-loving person who made every effort to make every person in any room she walked into feel special. As the newest Mrs. Delange, I would like to tell the story leading up to marrying her nephew a few years ago. She offered to pick up family at the airport and asked me, the bride to come along. Of course! Who wouldn’t want to spend quality time with Aunt Sara? No brainer! On our drive over, she let me know she would be my champion. In short, “Hey, you’re new around here. If anyone ever gives you any trouble you let me know”. I tell this story because I think many of us saw her demonstrate this ability. The ability to make someone feel comfortable with such ease and elegance. In the few years I knew her I saw her continuously uphold this ideal. She was a champion for those around her and for good. I met her after her battle had begun and I have no doubt that it did not slow her down one bit. She absolutely was someone who grabbed life by the horns. Who made the absolute most of every moment. Who was capable of both bringing about levity and depth out of situations and interactions as appropriate. An incredibly agile, intuitive, and most of all caring person. Her loss leaves a hole in our world, but I believe that she instilled a little part of her spark in all of us. She truly lives on in all those who experienced her light. To Aunt Sara: I hope to carry on your legacy by being someone who can let their hair down and dance and also the ear to listen.

Sara was my mentor for about 4 years now. She has been very inspiring in my life and helped me through many educational and mental problems I've had. However, my favorite memories of her were always eating lunch together, talking, and playing backgammon. I remember the very first time she introduced me to backgammon. Let's just say that I lost... a lot. But she and I were so very competitive in everything we did. So, I would practice in my free time in hopes of one day beating her at the game. The first time I beat her, was so intriguing. Not because I actually won for once, but because she was genuinely happy for me; she wasn't unhappy that she lost, or a bad sport, just proud. From then on, we played even more seriously and it was always such a good time.

When I first came from Ethiopia, Emma, Meg, and Aunt Sara came to meet me. I’ll never forget how special all of you made me feel. Experiencing so many of my firsts with you all made everything feel meaningful, like going to Garden of the Gods, spending Easter together, and learning how to swim. Even though I didn’t fully understand everything at the time, I knew it was a feeling of love and acceptance from my new family. That feeling has stuck to this day and I’ll never forget it. Aunt Sara had a way of making everyone feel accepted and truly seen. Whenever I was around her, I felt warmth and comfort that’s hard to put into words. She brought so much joy into every moment and had a light that made people feel safe and loved. I’ll always remember the way she made me feel like I belonged, no matter.❤️

To Sara’s family I am overwhelmed with sadness to hear of Sara’s passing. I knew her from Montvale NJ. Our Kidd’s went to school together. She was a truly kind person, always funny and was blessed to have known her. My thoughts and prayers go out to the entire family

Mrs.D is a very special person to me. From teaching me to swim, to picking me up from soccer with a sprained ankle, to the weekly ice cream trips where she would always order her chocolate heath bar blizzard… she was truly a second mom to me. She always made me feel at home and a part of the family. I will treasure our memories forever. May her beautiful soul rest in the sweetest peace. I love you, Mrs.D!

That laugh. I mean, it just lit up the room, you had to find out what she was up to and wanted to be part of the party that she was the center of!Sara will be sorely missed, she leaves a circle of friends who will miss her. My condolences To Kevin Emma and Meg.

Mrs. DeLange was such a warm and caring person. She always made me feel welcomed and looked out for me growing up, and that meant more to me than I can ever express. The way she treated people with love and kindness, and her smile, left a lasting positive impact on me, and I’m truly grateful I got to know her ❤️ Keeping Meg and the family in my thoughts.

This asked for memories, and of course there are too many to count. But I tried to put some in chronological order, though of course my childhood memory won’t be a perfect timeline! Thank you, De Lange family, for helping raise me and bring some of the brightest and fun times of my life. - Zoo trips - Monorail and MOSH trips in downtown Jax - Running around in your backyard naked - Having a tea party for us girls and so many other fun themed events - Eating Robert’s ears - Afternoons and the beach or Central Park - Many ice cream Steve trips, which were all very fun, even the time I got in trouble for dropping my Superman ice cream in the fish tank or the time Emma split her head open - Girl Scouts (and those camping trips I wasn’t fond of) - Emma and I watching Lizzie McGuire on your couch and hearing “you got mail” from the computer near the fish tank - Trying gator tail for the first time in your kitchen - Finding Pumpkin under your water bed - Bringing Pumpkin back to you in New Orleans for a visit & trying king cake for the first time - Playing madlibs and getting drive through daiquiris on the co-family road trip - Surprising me in pickup line at st Michael’s when y’all moved back to ponte vedra - British Columbia meet up - Flying alone for the first time to visit for Emma’s birthday - Taking us to NYC’s Little Italy and having vodka sauce for the first time - Going to see the Yankees play - And dim sum more!!! - Telling all the Jersey teenagers no one could call you Sara except me (made me feel extra special) - Flying to see y’all for new years in college - Many T-Rays breakfasts - Many Jungle Bells - Many ABBA sing alongs - Many, many more memories. I’ll miss you for the rest of my life ❤️

Senior year of high school I told her I would be majoring in engineering. A lot of people would doubt me when I would say that. Not Meg's mom. I remember standing with her by all the red jeeps in the driveway and she told me she knew I could do it. I never forgot that. I knew if she got an engineering degree than I could too. She was a supporter of everyone she met. We are so lucky she raised two minis of herself.

Sarah was the most beautiful person, the happiest, strongest, and most positive person I ever knew. She could always found the brightest and most positive side of even the most challenging events. She will forever be loved by so many.

I was very saddened to hear of Sara’s passing. Please accept my heartfelt condolences to her family and all who loved her. I first met Sara when we were teenagers sailing at the Waeg, and we quickly became friends. I’ve been thinking back on those years, time on the water, a lot of laughter, and the easy kind of friendship that comes with that stage of life. There are a few small moments that still come to mind, the kinds of things that don’t seem important at the time, but stay with you. When Sara moved away, I remember how difficult that felt. We kept in touch for a time, and then, as so often happens, life moved on and we lost touch. Even so, there is something uniquely hard about losing an old friend, someone who was part of your life at a formative time, and who helped shape those early memories. I was also thinking about mothers, and the quiet, steady role they play in those years, looking out for us, often just in the background, but always there when it mattered. Those influences stay with us far longer than we realize at the time. It was heartening to read that Sara continued to have such a positive impact on so many people. That feels entirely true to the person I remember. She will be missed, and I will remember her with great fondness. With deepest sympathy, Mark

Kevin, Emma, and Meg, our most sincere sympathy! Sara shared her zest for life everywhere she went. We are so glad we could be together for a brief time last summer! May God walk with you thru the days and years ahead! You are in our prayers!

A beautiful person, mom that enjoyed all her girl friends, my partner as class mom for several years. She fought hard and condolences to her husband, daughters and entire extended family. Always in your heart. 💚💝

One of my favorite memories of Mrs. D was my last visit to her beautiful home in Fernandina Beach. I remember she was sitting in her favorite recliner and I was sitting across from her. She had such an amazing perspective on life. While she was goofy and outgoing and always made anyone feel like a part of the DeLange family, she was also wise and grounded. I remember we had this long talk about friendships, love, and the future. Although she’d always throw a light-hearted joke or two in there, she just had an amazing sense of wisdom that I hadn’t yet had the gift of seeing. She instills that same wisdom in her daughter, Meg, and I will miss her dearly.

Sara was our family planner and enthusiast! She always made sure everyone was happy . She included even the smallest of cousins in every event or production she orchestrated. She lived with more losses in her life than any of us could imagine and continued to March thru life with joy and gratitude. Our family has lost our diamond and we will try to live our lives as Sara would wish….to keep family first and always be there for each other. ❤️❤️❤️

Sara was always funny and very sweet to me every time I saw her. My deepest condolences to all of you.

I have so many great memories of Sara from Girl Scouts! We had so many laugh’s throughout the years! We had many night at the cabin at the lake that still give me a belly laugh!Sara will be missed by everyone that knew her!her

Sara always had a smile freely given; a generous, kind spirit and a wicked sense of humor. We miss you!

Sara was my special niece! She had a wicked sense of humour, a live life to the fullest attitude, and so much love for the people in her life.

Mrs.De Lange was a mom to all of us since as long as I could remember , always down for some fun and laughs! She was a light in this world for many!

I have lovely memories of meeting Sara and her family in The Armagh City Hotel a few years back. She was bubbly and great craic! May she rest in peace. Condolences to Kevin, Emma, Meg and all her family.

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Sara, our friend was a Rock star in every way. We became fast friends in Montvale. Co -Girl Scout leaders and laughed our way through 20 years of friendship. So many memories, her laughter is what I will miss most but can still hear

Sara was an inspiration to me - one of the bravest women I’ve ever known. I was lucky enough to know her family for many years and watched Emma and Meg become the lovely women they are. Love to you all, you are in my prayers.

Sara miss you so much. Miss your energy, smile and overall friendship. You were an inspiration to all of us. Love, Tara.