Sarah Robertson

Our dear mom and daughter, Sarah Robertson, passed away at Good Samaritan Hospital in Corvallis on April 23, 2023. She was forty-six years old. Jennifer Sarah Robertson was born in Ontario, Oregon, on the morning of June 8, 1976, to Vicki Lynn (Nagelhout) Higgins and Leonard George Higgins. Sarah lived in Bend and Prineville before the family moved to Corvallis in December 1980. She started kindergarten at Franklin Elementary School and continued her schooling at Garfield Elementary School, Highland View Middle School, and graduated, with honors, from Crescent Valley High School in June 1994. Sarah participated in Girl Scouts, earned a National Merit Scholar award, and loved playing tennis for CV. In May 1999, Sarah graduated from Willamette University with a B.A. degree in biology and minors in chemistry and psychology. She started her microbiology career in the Seattle area. Sarah loved the challenges and camaraderie of working in small biotech firms. While at Willamette, Sarah met Brian Robertson, and they married on March 27, 2004. They lived in the Seattle area before moving to Corvallis in May 2009. Sarah and Brian divorced in June 2020. Sarah and Brian have two children: Brandon Carl Robertson was born on May 23, 2008, in Edmonds, Washington; and, Emily Vicki Robertson was born on July 7, 2011, in Corvallis, Oregon. Sarah worked at Oregon State University before changing careers in 2018. Sarah wanted to spend more time with her children, so she started a second career as an educational assistant for the Corvallis School District. Sarah loved helping children and got high praise in her positions at Mountain View Elementary and Letitia Carson Elementary. She prided herself in learning the names of all the kids at her school, so she could better connect with each of them. Sarah is survived by her children, Brandon Robertson and Emily Robertson; their beloved dog, Bailey; her dad, Leonard Higgins of Eugene, Oregon; her mom Vicki Young, and husband, Bob, of Corvallis, Oregon; and her stepfather, Don McAllister of Pasadena, California. Sarah was a wonderful mother and daughter. Sarah loved Brandon and Emily with a passion akin to a mother bear for her two darling cubs. She adored both of them and did everything possible to make a fulfilling life with them. Sarah, Brandon, and Emily lived near E. E. Wilson Wildlife Area, and they loved exploring the old Camp Adair ruins on their bikes and checking out the dates of visitors to their geocaching site. They learned some of the history of the area, and every trip seemed to reveal new places for exploration. Sarah could get poison oak merely by saying the words out loud, but that didn’t deter her from their escapades there. The three of them loved camping, especially at Waldo Lake, and more recently, at Timothy Lake. They explored every nook and cranny of the lakes on the paddle board and in kayaks. They packed lunches and were gone all day, laughing when Sarah tipped overboard or when Bailey accidentally jumped out of Sarah’s kayak. They set up hammocks for resting or listening to audiobooks. Their most recent camping trip included gourmet recipes Sarah chose to cook, as well as fairy light decorations for the tents. In the dim light of the tent, they even donned their headlamps to play cards or a board game. Sarah strived to make holidays a special time for her family. Birthday celebrations were important to her. Sarah decorated elaborate cakes for Brandon’s and Emily’s birthdays. Halloween was delightfully scary for the three of them. They set up a mock graveyard in their front yard and welcomed trick-or-treaters with eerie decorations near their front door. Sarah, Brandon, and Emily, all dressed in costume, loved tramping through the neighborhood on Halloween evening and during the downtown Halloween event. For Thanksgiving, all the family’s traditional foods were on the menu, including Sarah’s favorite: sour cream raisin pie. Sarah loved the magic of Christmas. They decorated their yard, and she, especially, loved the candy cane lights on the walkway and the icicle lights on the house. The three of them made Christmas cookies and frosted them in creative ways. Sarah, Brandon, Emily, and Sarah’s mom always looked forward to wherever the next planned trip or adventure might lead them. Sarah called these trips “making memories." She wanted all four of them to recall with fondness the times they shared together. Their most recent trip, a spring break road trip through California to the Grand Canyon and the Utah national parks, was dubbed by Brandon and Emily to be the “Rocks and Holes Trip.” They saw lots of different rock formations and some mighty big holes! Their next trip was to be a Seine River cruise along with a side trip to visit their Dutch ancestry roots in The Netherlands. They were to visit French Revolution sites Brandon and Emily learned about in school, and to fulfill Emily’s desire: “Grandma, I really want to see the Mona Lisa.” The three of them loved all kinds of sports. Sarah learned snow skiing in college, so she passed along her love of snow to Brandon and Emily. Brandon and Emily wore out Sarah at HooDoo during the winter months with their ever-encouraging challenges of ever-more difficult runs. They loved zip-lining and the ropes courses at Camp Dakota. They loved shooting hoops on Grandma Vicki’s driveway. They loved scootering, biking, and rollerblading in their neighborhood and beyond. They loved playing video games, especially Minecraft and Hay Day. Sarah’s last outing was to cheer on Emily’s softball pitching while seated next to Grandpa Leonard and Brandon. Sarah, Brandon, and Emily spent a lot of time together and truly loved each other’s company. They slept overnight in the playhouse Sarah’s dad built for them in the backyard enjoying movies projected onto the wall. Car rides were enhanced by listening to audiobooks. They, especially, enjoyed the “Alcatraz vs. The Evil Librarians” series. Backyard adventures included splashing in their above-ground swimming pool, intense badminton matches, and gardening in their raised beds. Sarah called gardening her “happy place.” One time, they camped overnight in a three-bedroom fort they built in their dining room! Sarah loved all of her fun adventures with her children, but she was committed to raising Brandon and Emily to be responsible young people. She taught by showing kindness and love as well as with her “Use your words” statement. She taught by immersing herself in Brandon’s and Emily’s schoolwork. She taught by being encouraging and supporting Brandon’s and Emily’s individual skills and talents and either participated alongside them or applauded their choices from the sidelines. She was always there for them. Sarah was a lovely person through and through. We will miss her deeply for the remainder of our lives. Sarah’s memorial service will be held in the First Christian Church at 602 SW Madison Avenue in Corvallis on May 20, 2023, at 2 PM. Viewing will be from 10 AM-Noon on May 20th at McHenry Funeral Home in Corvallis. Private burial will be at Oak Lawn Cemetery in Corvallis. Instead of flowers, contributions may be made to the Lynnie Evans Children’s Fund at Corvallis First Christian Church; the Franklin Elementary School PTA; or, the Letitia Carson Elementary School PTA.

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Sarah Robertson

June 8, 1976 - April 23, 2023