Sara Jane Burr

Sara Jane was born on April 14, 1922, the youngest child of Joseph and Catherine Pilcher. She had one sister and three brothers which she loved dearly. Her parents farmed the land, and she watched as they took in many foster children throughout the years and guided them into adulthood. This sense of giving to others was something she took on in her own adult life. She was the definition of a caretaker as she put others first and was selfless. She graduated from Farmington High School and entered the work force as a secretary. She corresponded via mail with her future husband, George Burr, while he was in the Army and stationed in the Philippine Islands. She kept all these letters and one could see their feelings grow through words. They were married a year after he returned home. They moved to Hastings to start married life and got busy creating a family. They brought into this world 10 children. She was born to be a mother and oh how she did excel at that. Sara devoted her life to the care of children and truly enjoyed every minute of kids under her feet at all times. First there were her own 8 boys and 2 girls. She never seemed to mind when extra people were around as her motto was “one more won’t hurt”. Most women like to wear jewelry but for Sara during her childbearing years, jewelry was having a couple of safety pins pinned to her shirt for those frequent diaper changes. With all the cloth diapers she changed raising 10 children, her hands were rough and scratchy due to the bleach she had to use cleaning diapers. That was true until disposal diapers were invented. After raising her own children, Sara started to do daycare for her grandchildren, other family members, and family friends. She did not need to advertise as word of mouth brought in many to her home. Many daycare kids wanted to belong to her clean plate club for if you finished your meal, you could get a piece of her chocolate cake which was always in the cupboard. Sara loved to have a baby in her lap and babies loved to be cradled in her arms. As she eased out of daycare, she did volunteer work for the Blood Bank, organized altar servers for the Regina Chapel, volunteered in a classroom, and helped at Augustana Nursing Home. In her spare time, she found a passion doing cross stitch and many a cross stitch have been made by her hands. She was cross stitching into her 90’s until her eyesight decreased. She was always a whiz at doing crossword puzzles, and even after her stroke she could still complete them. Sara had a stroke this past July and her left side no longer functioned, but her mind was still intact. She lost all her independence but had the patience of a saint and never got mad at this major loss. Her wit and humor were a big part of her, and she never lost that. She guided, but did not make demands. She listened and truly cared about others and did not judge, as she had acceptance for all. She was a woman of few words, but if you listened to the words, they were very impactful. She was a very warm, supportive, and welcoming lady. Her famous words to all were “You be dang careful”. Those few words meant, “as you leave me, I love you and trust that you will make the right decisions”. Sara was a woman with great faith and prayed daily for others in need. She loved chocolate, ice cream, sweets in general, but most of all, she had room in her heart to love each one of you. For that we take comfort. She left this world knowing she was loved as she taught us all to love. Sara leaves behind a great legacy of knowing and treasuring the importance of taking care of family and friends. The Funeral Mass will be Tuesday, March 29, 2022 at 11:00 AM, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Hastings. A visitation will be held Monday, March 28, 2022, from 4:00-7:00 PM at the Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel in Hastings, and also on Tuesday, 1 hour prior to the funeral. Interment will follow in the parish cemetery. Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.