SEATTLE NEWS ARCHIVES & FEATURES

Ron and Don Nation helps foster family raise $18,000 to bury ‘super Mom’

Jun 5, 2017, 3:54 PM | Updated: Jun 6, 2017, 3:18 pm

UPDATE: Ron and Don Show listeners helped raise $18,000 over the last 24 hours to help pay for Sarah’s funeral costs and other fees.

ORIGINAL STORY

David from Maple Valley contacted the Ron and Don Show about Sarah, a foster WonderMOM who took in at-risk teenagers for the past 20 years.

In all, she helped 40 kids – who call her a “saint.”

Sarah had been in hospice recently, fighting several life-threatening illnesses, including COPD, CHF (congestive heart failure), kidney failure, and diabetes. She passed away unexpectedly Sunday, at just 54 years old. Now David is raising money to provide Sarah for a proper burial.

RELATED: Snoqualmie Tribe helps out King County sheriff cause

Some have suggested that Sarah should be cremated, because it costs far less. However, those close to her know that’s not what she wanted after living a difficult life. She told her kids she never wanted to be “set on fire” again.

When she was young, her father attempted to light her on fire. After growing up in an orphanage, she spent the rest of her life helping foster kids who also faced difficult circumstances, including the “hard to place” girls within the foster system who weren’t “desirable” or had behavioral issues.

She legally adopted six children from foster care, and was still in touch with 30 other foster kids – who still called her “mom” to this day.

Sarah gave everything and leaves behind expenses and bills. Friends and family hope to raise enough money to bury Sarah in a plot next to her husband – which is expected to cost around $8,000. Any extra money would be given to her “kids.” That extra money will help the eldest child return to work after being her caretaker, and continue to raise her youngest child.

Over $4,700 has been raised on GoFundMe page so far, with a goal of $10,000. Let’s help give Sarah the memorial she deserves.

Visit her GoFundMe to contribute to her memorial fund.

Sign up for the daily KIRO Radio Rundown sent directly to your inbox.

Options trader Marty Handler works on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, Thursday, Aug. 27, ...

Associated Press

Investors prosper and consumers pay as the Iran war exacts an uneven economic toll 6 months in

NEW YORK (AP) — As the U.S. and Israel relentlessly bombed Iran in the opening days of war, the most dramatic predictions of the conflict’s toll were unsparing: surging oil prices, worldwide recession and economic catastrophe. But six months into the conflict, the direst predictions haven’t come true even if no corner of the world’s […]

2 hours ago

This photo released by Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue, shows a rescuer with the man who was ...

Associated Press

Volunteers rescue climber stranded on small ledge in California’s Sierra Nevada

MAMMOTH LAKES, Calif. (AP) — Volunteers carried out a more than 15-hour operation to rescue a man who got off route in the Sierra Nevada and was stranded on a small ledge, the Mono County Sheriff Search and Rescue Team said. A four-person team carried out the rescue last weekend near Mammoth Lakes, California, in […]

4 hours ago

The U.S. Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore as seen from Batam, Indones...

Associated Press

USS Abraham Lincoln sails past Singapore on its way home from Middle East

BATAM, Indonesia (AP) — The U.S. aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln sailed past Singapore early on Sunday as it headed home after a grueling deployment in the Middle East. It’s expected to stop in Thailand for a port visit. Associated Press journalists on the Indonesian island of Batam, across the Singapore Strait, spotted the massive […]

4 hours ago

Associated Press

Nepal warns of more possible floods as communities grapple with devastation

DHADING, Nepal (AP) — Authorities in Nepal are warning of possible fresh flooding on Sunday and urged residents in flood-affected districts to remain on high alert after water levels rose in the Bhotekoshi River. Flood warning notices were sent to people’s phones throughout Sunday morning, as rescue crews worked to clear a major highway connecting […]

5 hours ago

Fairgoers pass the Tilt-A-Whirl, Thursday, Aug. 27, 2026, at the Minnesota State Fair in Falcon Hei...

Associated Press

Spinning and dipping, Minnesota fairgoers delight in the classic Tilt-A-Whirl ride as it turns 100

FALCON HEIGHTS, Minn. (AP) — With screams and giggles, whipping ponytails and white-knuckle grips, Minnesota fairgoers are taking delight in the magic of the Tilt-A-Whirl ride as it turns 100 years old. The iconic ride and its brightly colored cars debuted at the Minnesota State Fair in 1926, and it has been a mainstay at […]

5 hours ago

FILE - Olivia Rodrigo performs at the Glastonbury Festival in Somerset, England on June 29, 2025. (...

Associated Press

Olivia Rodrigo’s festival is uniting women and girls behind nonprofits promoting their well-being

Evoking the same do-it-yourself pop-rock feminism of her ’90s musical influences, Olivia Rodrigo raised $20 million for women’s well-being with a benefit show that activated her young audience. Daisy Chain Fields united a women-led lineup boasting queer pop star Chappell Roan, breakout rapper Doechii and riot grrrl pioneers Bikini Kill behind issues of women’s health, […]

5 hours ago

Ron and Don Nation helps foster family raise $18,000 to bury ‘super Mom’