Alicia Kern

She was born in Honolulu, HI to the late George Sr. and Alice (Akana) Sanborn. The youngest of three, she is preceded in death by brother George Sanborn Jr., survived by Randy (Aloha) Sanborn and numerous nieces & nephews. Alicia graduated from the prestigious Kamehameha Boarding School in 1965. She left Oahu for the first time to attend Manchester College in Indiana. It was there that she met the love of her life of over 50 years, Wayne Kern. They wed on August 23, 1969. Although leaving her family in Hawaii was difficult, she loved her new family she gained in Ohio, where she and Wayne resided in Miamisburg since 1971. There they raised two beloved children, Bryan & Sarah Kern, and numerous house pets and strays she adopted and cherished through the years.

Alicia was an elementary teacher at Centerville City Schools for 33 years. She touched countless lives and she loved to share her love of nature and butterflies with her students and colleagues. She met lifelong friends during her teaching years & was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Sorority.

Upon retirement, she was blessed with four grandchildren, Jillian and Chloe Kern & Isabella and Bronx Kildow. Her ever growing family meant everything to her and her proudest moments were of and with them.

Since its inception, Alicia was a lead guide at the Butterfly House at Cox Arboretum. She was passionate about butterflies, specifically the Monarchs. Her own garden & yard was an official Monarch Waystation to promote conservation. An avid gardener, she earned her Master Gardener Achievement through The OSU Extension.

She founded Blessings In A Bag ministry for Miamisburg students, through St James United Methodist Church, in which she was a longtime, faithful member. BIB provides a weekly bag of food to all free/reduced lunch children within the district. Students are given the food to help sustain them over the weekends. This ministry was dear to her heart, as she believed no child should ever go hungry.

In addition, she was the Ladies Auxiliary President at the American Legion Post 165.

Alicia was a woman of God, devoted wife, mom, grandma, friend, teacher, gardener, butterfly lady, animal lover, and an uncompromising Buckeye football fan. She lived her life to the fullest, without regret, and always of service to others.

In lieu of flowers, please consider keeping her legacies alive through service or donations to Blessings In A Bag, St James UMC or Cox Arboretum, where a tribute bench will be dedicated in her memory inside the Butterfly House.