Sarah Jane Stromayer

Sarah was born in Iowa City, IA to Lauretta and Karl Kaufmann in 1934. She went to High School at University High in Iowa City. She graduated from Smith College, and received a Master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins’School of Advanced International Studies in 1958, where she met and married James Stromayer. She was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma. She worked in numerous volunteer organizations while accompanying her husband James on their 25-year Foreign Service career. Over the years she worked successively at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History 1978-86, the National Building Museum 1986-92, and the Torpedo Factory in Alexandria until 1999 when she retired. For many years after retiring she volunteered at Huntley Meadows Park in numerous resource monitoring and environmental education capacities, earning the volunteer of the year award in 1997. She eventually introduced her granddaughter to the joys of volunteering there. She was an avid bird watcher, lifelong gardener, music lover (a frequent attendee at the Kennedy Center Opera and Orchestra halls), artist (exhibiting her work at the Torpedo Factory and taking courses at the Torpedo Factory art center), snorkeler and world traveler, visiting by her count over 45 countries. She enjoyed a wide circle of friends in her French, Gourmet, Birding, Orchid and other groups in and around her beloved Hollin Hills.

Sarah is preceded in death by her parents Lauretta and Karl and her husband James.

Sarah is survived by her sons Eric and Karl, their wives Susmita and Crescie and grandchildren Aditi, Konrad, Elise, Antara, Lalita, and Ian, and her cousin Alice Kullman. Sarah despaired of having (any) grandchildren at one time in her life and was quite pleased to have been mistaken about that!

A Celebration of Sarah’s Life will be held at Goodwin House, Alexandria at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to Friends of Huntley Meadows, and Friends of Hollin Hills in Sarah’s name.