Celebrating the life of

Sara Catherine Wells -

25 Feb 1982 - 27 Jun 2020

Family and friends

Sara will be carried in the hearts of Charlie, Grady, Pat, Bill, Karen, and all else who knew and treasured her. We would love to see your favorite Sara memories and photos, please share! And see below for details on services, donations, and family wishes. /// i carry your heart with me(i carry it in my heart)i am never without it(anywhere i go you go,my dear;and whatever is done by only me is you... more

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31 Oct 1995

Diana Turner For a girl who loved to play dress-up, Sara sure didn't put a ton of effort into costumes. Exhibit A: Halloween 1995. We were 13 and definitely too old to be trick-or-treating but we did it anyways. Can you believe anybody gave these lazy teenagers ANY candy?

Sep 1999

Diana Turner Sara barely tried with costumes, Exhibit B: Homecoming Parade 1999. I know which "superhero" Sara tried to say she was dressed up as and will give $100 to anyone who can correctly guess. Ridiculous!

2000

Keli Campbell Alison and I sailed to the Bahamas with Sara, Karen, and Bill when we were in high school. We explored abandoned lighthouses, snorkeled around sunken ships, and got chased by a barracuda. Being in the middle of a vast blue ocean was a once in a lifetime experience for me but a second home to Sara. Clear blue ocean will always make me think of her.

2000

Keli Campbell Sara

2000

Nina Porcelli Fenn I met Sara on one of my first few days at college. She lived in the room across the hall, and she invited me in to ask which classes I was enrolled. I was surprised. Our schedules were identical, however our backgrounds and interests could not be more different. We quickly became friends (and with Jess Isler Nickerson from the adjacent room!); she introduced me into a world of music, art, and ideas that opened up my views; I’d like to think my mountain girl background intrigued her just as much. Honestly, I always enamored her. Sara, Jess, and I continued to grow together as friends throughout our college years. I haven’t seen either since the day we graduated, but Sara holds such a deep place in my heart as she was such an important person in my formative, young, college girl years. I am forever grateful for her friendship.

May 2000

Deborah Turner Shawnee Mission West Swim Team-this relay team managed to go to State. Diana, Sara, Courtney and Jamie had been swimming together for years and were so excitedly proud of this accomplishment.

2002

Stacie Abbott This was *almost* my 21st birthday. On my actual 21st birthday, I boarded a plane to move to France for a year (where the legal drinking age was 18, so felt a bit anticlimactic). So a huge group of people hung out with me until midnight so i could order my first legal drink and say goodbye for a year. I remember crying that night due to the realization that my friends were so amazing. How could I leave them for a year? Luckily, Sara boarded a plane to Germany soon after me and we were able to enjoy some amazing European adventures together.

2004

Nina Porcelli Fenn Looking back through my photo albums for images of Sara, it struck me how Sara was a person who brought people together. She was magnetic. Across borders of countries and timeframes of our lives, she is what I would characterize as a true timeless friend – one who brings people together through common passions. The photos below are from when Jess Isler Nickerson and I visited Sara in Berlin while she was studying abroad; and from when we all joined her in Key West, FL for spring break. What strikes me most, other than the amazing memories) is that her friends from high school (Stacy, Kelly, Ally, Sadb) were also present on these trips. Thank you Sara for not only brightening our lives, but bringing so many of us together.

Dec 2005

Andrew Gustafson After college, when I had moved to Russia with our friend Dan, Sara came to visit us in Moscow for Christmas 2005. We had such a fun time with our friend Tyler, who came with her, and for a weekend, we rented a cabin in Karelia on the Finnish border. After nearly missing the train (we had to jump from the platform onto a moving train, which Sara was not psyched about, but she did it), we made the overnight journey and spent days skiing, relaxing in the sauna, and enjoying the incredible beauty of the forest. Russia is not an easy place to visit, and it was lonely at times living there, but Dan and I were so impressed, and so moved, that she joined us for that adventure. There are so many memories I want to share, but this is one that has stayed with me.

Dec 2005

Tyler Kremberg Sara somehow convinced me that it was a reasonable idea to visit Russia in December. We found ourselves in the basement of the Moscow airport in an FSB office, somehow found Andrew without a cell phone, and explored the city, notably the accordion museum and seeing the horrible art of Zurab Tsereteli. We did in fact run and jump onto a moving train, then got drunk over the next 18 hours before cross country skiing and shooting shotguns. It seems surreal to share that story but even more surreal to accept that Sara can no longer brighten the mood with her kind smile, laugh at a silly joke, or blow the bangs out of her eyes. So many wonderful memories, thinking of all her friends and family and sending love.

Aug 2006

Alison Fraser This is a picture from my bachelorette party. At this point I was three sheets and acting in a way that some *might* consider unbecoming of a young lady. My always-cooler-than-me friends were not enjoying the playlist at Kelly’s in Westport (to say nothing of my antics). Sara is supposed to be making a pouty face like this one from Diana. She gets it right a minute later in a pic with Keli. But then goes back to smilies in a group pic in the next frame. Her own “bachelorette party” just a few short years ago was much more her style. A windy weekend at a lake house on a beach with her sister and friends a few hours from Chicago. Nice thing about friends. You can thoroughly enjoy your lives together without having the same lives.

2007

Stacie Abbott When Sara was back in KS for med school, Brad was also in med school, and I was briefly considering a career as a dietitian. This night we went to Cafe Trio (old location!) for fancy drinks before changing clothes (how did we do that?) and going out to crappy bars.

2009

Melanie Renecker I first met Sara in the Bahamas, where her family sailboat was moored. I feel very fortunate that Diana invited me to tag along on her vacation. In spite of a vicious sunburn on my pasty white skin that had, at the time, barely been south of I-5 we had great fun.

2009

Melanie Renecker 2009 was the year SNL's I'm on a Boat was still fresh in our collective memories. More than once we sang out in unison what few lyrics we remembered. Diana and I also had big plans to shoot a video of our choreographed dance to Neil Diamond's America. Alas, time flew and by the end of the vacation we had only managed a cheesy photoshoot. Sara was a great captain, guide, and shipmate. My heart goes out to all who knew and loved her.

Oct 2012

Deborah Turner When Stacie got married, it was the first time I had seen Sara in several years. I remember how lovely she looked in her bright dress, and how happy she seemed. This was when most of her Kansas friends met Grady. I was excited about Sara finding this Tennessee guy!

Apr 2014

Alison Fraser Sara’s bachelorette party. We were maybe on this beach for 5 minutes before we headed back to the lake house. We did not have our foul-weather gear that day. Karen was a master organizer. We had an *amazing* meal. It was also when everyone learned I was pregnant. (I was trying to keep the focus on Sara’s celebration. But she saw I wasn’t drinking and called me on it herself.)

May 2014

Deborah Turner Sara was so happy on her wedding day. It was a wonderful day in a beautiful setting.

Jun 2017

Deborah Turner Such loving, loyal friends, continuing to support each other in spite of the miles between them. They celebrate the joys of life together, yet also hold each other up in times of need- as only friends can do.

4 Feb 2018

Keli Campbell Sara came to visit me in Chicago on a trip to see her sister. She met Ansel for the first time and brought him a Dream Animals book that he still loves.

8 Mar 2019

Keli Campbell Sara and I have sons that are about the same age. I am glad we got to talk about being mothers together. One of our last phone conversations was just about how much we were enjoying this toddler age. So playful, creative, and learning so much so fast. I hope I will always remember Sara's laugh and the joy she found in Charlie.

Visitation 4-7pm Memorial Service at 7pm //COVID 19// This has been a difficult time for many of the family, some of whom are high risk. Please be respectful of social distancing, wear a mask and limit potential exposure for your safety and theirs. Funeral home site: https://tinyurl.com/y8huw67s

Karen Better30 Jun 2020

30 Jun 2020

Karen Better //Donations// Sara was brave and focused in her nearly two years battle with esophageal cancer - a cancer that is treatable if detected early, and among the least-funded by federal research. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you give to the Esophageal Cancer Action Network (https://ecan.org/) or the American Cancer Society (https://cancer.org)

30 Jun 2020

Karen Better //Remains// Sara and Grady traveled to Acadia National Park in Maine on their honeymoon, as they began their adventure together. Sara was cremated, and will travel with Grady once again to the top of Desert Island.

1 Jul 2020

Stacie Abbott Another costume pic! Time warp dance circa 1999? Alie was 80s, Sara was 60s mod, I was 50s.

1 Jul 2020

Stacie Abbott Here we are in Besancon, France, where I had studied abroad. She came to visit me for a week in my sleepy little town and absolutely fell in love with the slow pace, my host family, and the cheese. In this photo we are drinking Martini, which had a special meaning. Soon after I visited Sara in Berlin where I became jealous of the fact that she had easy access to doner kabobs with fries in them. In fact, one of my clearest memories with her is is sitting on a curb after a night at the Berlin clubs, eating doner kabobs, and waiting for the s-bahn(?) to start up so we could take it back to her apartment. We giggled at a really obscene billboard of white asparagus on the way back.

1 Jul 2020

Pat Veno Sara and Charlie

1 Jul 2020

Pat Veno Sara on swing in Miami

1 Jul 2020

Pat Veno Sara early sailboat, reading at nav table, at the helm, and just being Sara

2 Jul 2020

Kate Sammler Sara and I were twice shipmates on the SS Rejoice. We snorkeled and swam, drank rum and listened to Gloria Estefan. She knew boats, she knew herself, and she was welcoming and kind to me. Fair winds and following seas to my favorite sailor.

3 Jul 2020

Aysu Kirac Sara was always a kind, warm and welcoming person. We shared sailing and rafting adventures (here we all are at Diana's bachelorette all tied together) and I always admired her openness, strength, and above all her close network of friends and family. Thinking of Sara, her family, and all her friends all across the globe.

//Additional Memorial Services// Given the current restrictions (imposed and voluntary) Sara’s family and friends intend to have additional memorial events when there are fewer risks to travel. Currently plans are being developed for an event in Kansas City as well as in the northeast. Details will be determined as travel becomes safer.

Karen Better4 Jul 2020

6 Jul 2020

Grady Wells Coffee and hotdog. Our first camping experience together was during the Summer of 2012 at Energy Lake Campground in the Land Between the Lakes National Recreational Area, Golden Pond, Kentucky. Trails and tents were important to us.

7 Jul 2020

Grady Wells Sara standing in front of Machine Falls, Short Springs Natural Area, Tullahoma, TN. This was Sara's first trip to Tullahoma. May 2012.