Sarah Elizabeth Lingle

Dr. Sarah Elizabeth Lingle, 64, of Salem, OR passed away on April 17, 2020 at Providence Benedictine Nursing Center in Mt. Angel, OR.  She had lived fully and courageously with cancer for more than a decade.  Sarah was born on July 22, 1955 to John Clayton Lingle and Dorothy Adelaide (DuBois) Lingle in Davis, California.  She married Thomas Pratt Washington in McAllen, TX on May 20, 1989.  Her parents and husband preceded her in death.  Sarah is survived by her sister-in-law Esther (Robert) Schnase of San Antonio, TX, brothers-in-law Lawrence Washington of Bloomington, IN and Aubrey (Lynn) Washington of Norman, OK and many beloved extended family members and friends.

Sarah grew up in Modesto, CA.  She graduated from the University of California at Davis in 1977 with a bachelor’s degree in genetics, then went on to earn a master’s in agronomy from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln and a PhD in agronomy from Washington State University.  She worked as a plant scientist for the USDA Agricultural Research Service from 1984 to 2011, first in Weslaco, TX and then in New Orleans, LA.  She specialized in sugarcane and sorghum research and published numerous articles in scientific journals.  Upon retirement, Sarah chose Salem, OR as her new home.

Throughout her life Sarah was both a devoted scientist and a devout Episcopalian.  She joined St. Paul’s Episcopal Church when she moved to Salem and was warmly welcomed into their faith community.  She sang in the choir and participated in numerous other church activities.  Sarah had a very active mind and wide-ranging interests.  She traveled extensively, was a voracious reader, loved gardening and bird watching, adored her cats, kept up with a host of Facebook friends, and was writing her first novel.  Sarah was kind, generous, resilient, brave, and an inspiration to the many people who knew and loved her.

A memorial service will be planned for a later date at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Salem, OR.  Sarah’s ashes will be buried next to her husband Tom’s at Oakwood Cemetery in Austin, TX.  In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Episcopal Relief & Development at www.episcopalrelief.org or the charity of your choosing.  Virgil T. Golden Funeral Service is assisting the family.