Sara Winchester Schoonover White

White—Sara Winchester Schoonover White, 76, on November 6, 2024, with her husband of 55 years and both daughters by her side, at Friends Homes in Greensboro, N.C. Sara was born on January 12, 1948, in Salem, Ill. Her parents, John and Sally Schoonover, moved the family to St. Louis, Mo., briefly before John rejoined the army. They spent the next decade at army posts on the East Coast and in Germany. Sara learned to speak German while attending kindergarten.

In her teen years, Sara lived in St. Petersburg, Fla. She graduated from Guilford College with a degree in psychology. There she met Charlie White, and they married following graduation in 1969. Sara’s first job was as a social worker for the Greensboro Sheltered Workshop, a position she held for eight years until their first child, Cassandra, was born. She began an extended “maternity leave,” staying home for a dozen years to care for Cass and Rose, who came along 18 months later. When their daughters left home, Sara went back to work, this time at the Guilford County Health Department as an administrative aide. During this time she earned a master’s degree in education. After a dozen years, she left to become a real estate agent, which was her most satisfying job. Sara enjoyed helping first-time buyers find the home of their dreams. She retired in 2012.

Sara was a quiet person who was determined to leave the world a better place than she found it. She was active on a number of committees at New Garden Meeting in Greensboro, including Peace and Social Concerns and Quaker Relations, and served as representative to Quaker House in Fayetteville, N.C., and Friends Committee on North Carolina Legislation. Sara served for many years with the League of Women Voters in Greensboro. She was instrumental in creating the Vote411.org website that so many consult prior to elections.

Sara enjoyed many artistic endeavors, including painting and turning clay pots. She loved puttering in her garden, and was a skilled seamstress and knitter. She and her family were happily involved in backstage theatre work. She was kind and very interested in people, and had the gift of hospitality, enjoying hosting F/friends in their home. Sara was courageous and steadfast in meeting the challenges in her life.

Sara is survived by her husband, Charlie White; two children, Cassandra White (Bea Fetzer) and Rose White (Jennifer Jordan); one grandchild; one brother, John Schoonover (Judy Purvis); one brother-in-law, Chandlee White; one sister-in-law, Sylvia White (Michael Mirande); one nephew; and one niece.