Sara Holup

Sara Holup, our sweet mom, grandma, sister, and friend to so many, passed away at the age of 84. She was preceded in death by her husband of 58 years, John, and her daughter, Gail.

She was born on April 7, 1941, in Toledo, Ohio to Roger Johnson and Mary Adine (nee Doughman) Shelles. Mary, who lived with Sara and John for many years after Roger passed, was known to all as Peg. Sara is survived by her daughters, Jill of Austin, Texas (Tod) and Joan of Portland, Oregon (Thomas), grandsons Riley and Trey, and a brother, Dan (Linda), of Atlanta, Georgia.

In 1971, Sara and her husband and their three small children embarked on what would be the adventure of a lifetime, leaving their family, friends, and the only place they had ever known, Ohio, and moved to Moscow, Idaho where they raised their family and lived for the rest of their lives. Idaho was a stellar choice for the Holups, and both John and Sara embraced the spectacular Idaho outdoors with all their hearts. Sara avidly hiked and cross-country skied with her friends until very recently when it became difficult, especially with her Parkinson’s diagnosis.

Sara graduated from Baldwin Wallace in 1963 with a degree in Elementary Education and earned a Master’s in Special Education from the University of Idaho in 1975. This is especially impressive since by the time she finished her Master’s degree, she had three children. She taught elementary school, first in Ohio and then in Moscow at Russell, McDonald, and at Lena Whitmore for a combined 23 years until her retirement in 1996. She made many cherished friendships through her work in schools. After her retirement, Sara volunteered by reading to children at story time.

She had many hobbies and friends and was what her husband called a “social butterfly.” In her younger years, she was a wonderful seamstress, making clothing for her children and their dolls, and later in life enjoyed her quilt group and making catnip-filled cat toys that were always a big hit at the holiday church sale. She had been working on a batch of cat toys for the upcoming holiday season. She was an accomplished singer and always enjoyed music, performing with a choral group in Ohio and then in the church choir in Idaho. She was very active with book group and with her church, the Unitarian Universalist Church of the Palouse, and often spoke of the fellowship and community she so appreciated and enjoyed there.

One of Sara’s special gifts was her thoughtfulness. She was a champion letter-writer and always remembered birthdays, anniversaries, and other special occasions with a card, a letter, a phone call, or all of the above. There will be many of us who miss that sweet thoughtfulness on our special days.

Sara supported many causes and organizations over the years. If you would like to honor her with a donation, the family suggests the Latah County Library, Great Old Broads for Wilderness, the Humane Society of the Palouse (from whom she adopted her last fur-baby, a sweet older cat she named Reina), or any charity that makes you think of Sara. A service to remember Sara will be held at a later date.