Sara Marie Barto, age 41, of Bettendorf, was called to her eternal home in Heaven on October 24, 2021, after a long and courageous battle with cancer. Visitation will be on Friday, October 29, 2021 from 4-7pm at Weerts Funeral Home. Funeral service will be held at 10:30am on Saturday, October 30, 2021 at Weerts Funeral Home, burial to follow at Oakdale Memorial Gardens. A “Sunday Fun Day” celebration of life will be held on Sunday, October 31, 2021 at 12pm at The Pour House. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Sara’s memory may be made to the family to support her children’s education.
Born in Davenport on March 13, 1980, to Antonio Sanchez and Debra (Gabel-Sanchez) Wise, Sara will always be remembered for her beautiful eyes and vibrant smile which reflected her love for life. She was an amazing wife, mother, daughter and friend to many, many people.
Sara attended school in Davenport and graduated from West High in Davenport in 1998. Sara was musically talented and played violin and guitar. A beautiful vocalist, in high school she performed with the school show choir and an acapella group. Sara also performed locally with a Christian singing group called “Spirit”. Sara was very social and never missed a prom, homecoming, dance or school event.
Sara was married to Wes Langfitt in 2000 but later divorced. In 2015, Sara met the love of her life, Dave Barto, and was married to Dave on April 19, 2019. It was a marriage filled with love, fun, and adventure. Together, they purchased, renovated and created their dream home—“House on the Duck”.
Sara’s career included managing a local Michaels Store followed by owning and operating an in-home, personal care service for the elderly. Her love for fun, compassion and concern for others made her a very popular and sought-after bartender. She loved being surrounded by people and made many friends throughout her career. She wouldn’t miss attending the annual Martini Shake Off benefit.
Sara was a devoted mother and extremely proud of her three children, Hayden Langfitt and twins Gunnar and Ronin Mathews. In addition, in a selfless act of love, Sara gave the ultimate gift of life by serving as a surrogate for one of her best friends, a cancer-survivor. Sara blessed her friend and husband with a beautiful little boy, Barrett.
Sara will always be remembered as being very social, creative, and planned many fun, fantastic events for her family and friends. She had many hobbies, loved decorating her home and traveling. Christmas was her favorite holiday, and she spent countless hours planning, decorating, baking, and enjoying time with loved ones. Spending time with family and friends was tremendously important to her. She was very grateful and overwhelmed by all the outpouring of love and support shown to her and her family during her battle with cancer.
Sara is survived by her husband, Dave; sons LCpl Hayden (Jenny) Langfitt of Fort Meade, MD, Gunnar Mathews, and Ronin Mathews of Bettendorf; parents Antonio (Linda) Sanchez, and Debra (Robert, Jr.) Wise; brothers Antonio Sanchez, Jr., Marc Sanchez; sisters Sabrina Sanchez and Serena Sanchez; grandparents Carmen Sanchez, Clark Gabel, and Geraldine Gabel; niece Kylee Sanchez; nephew Matthew Sanchez; as well as many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She is also survived by her beloved pets, Ellis and Clark. She was preceded in death by her grandfathers Ventura Sanchez and Robert Wise, Sr.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be left to the family at www.weertsfh.com
