Sara Elizabeth Goetz

of Berkeley, CA

March 27, 1986

to Oct. 23, 2010

Sara, 24-year-old daughter of Paul and Kathy Goetz of Bremerton, died on Oct 23rd in Berkeley CA, from a blood infection. Over the past year, she fought a disabling nerve disorder that caused her severe pain and though her death was related to this illness, it was completely unexpected.

Sara was born in Bremerton WA and attended Cottonwood Elementary, Fairview Jr. High and was co-valedictorian at Olympic High School in 2004. Sara enjoyed sports, playing trombone in jazz band, nature, animals, riding horses and caring for her many pets.

Sara spent the last 6 years of her life with her boyfriend, Nick, who she met at Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, CA. She majored in Biology and her passion for this field was evident to anyone who spoke with her about it. Sara studied for a semester in Costa Rica, returning with many stories of the places she visited and the jungle wildlife she studied. After she returned, Sara worked at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, fulfilling a goal she made after her sister Jenica died from leukemia in 1993.

In the past year, Nick earned his Master's Degree at UC Berkeley, while also caring for Sara, who remained strong, loving and thoughtful despite the pain from her illness. Nick and Sara planned to marry as soon as she could walk down the aisle unassisted.

Survivors include her parents Paul and Kathy; her boyfriend Nick Sherrow-Groves; her two sisters, Karen and Hanna; and her grandparents, Robert Goetz of Oak Harbor and Edgar and Betty Starr of Des Moines. Sara was preceded in death by her big sister, Jenica (1993), and her grandmother, Doris Goetz (2008).

Sara's memorial service will be held at Kiana Lodge, 14976 Sandy Hook Rd. NE in Poulsbo on Nov 11. Guests are invited to arrive at 12 p.m. and the service will begin at 1 p.m. Regardless of the weather, some of the service will be outdoors. Flowers for the service may be sent to Kiana Lodge, to arrive on the 10th of November. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Peninsula Bible Fellowship (PBF) Benevolence Fund or to the National Childhood Cancer Foundation (CURESEARCH) in Sara's memory.