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From:
Denise De Bo
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Saturday, August 27, 2016
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Sarah was my best friend in high school and college days. We met in 1977 or 1978 and I have nothing but happy memories of our time spent together. While our communication had become very sporadic in the last 10 years or so I will always remember her smile, her laugh, and her awesome letters! We regularly wrote each other in college and early post college years. I couldn’t wait to tear open the envelope and read her newsy, entertaining letters….this was back before email and the internet.
Some things I remember:
-Going to the movies, sometimes with my sister Mary and our friend Cassee. Often going for ice cream afterwards at Country Style, best place for ice cream in the Quad Cities. I specifically remember having an in-depth discussion after seeing The Shining about what really happened. To this day that movie creeps me out.
-Occasionally riding with her in her mini blue pick up on her rural paper route, once or twice driving just a tad bit too fast and skidding a bit on the gravel roads. Hot summer days with SuperTramp blasting on the radio.
-Hanging out at her house A LOT. Her mom feeding us lunch, often quiche which was exotic to me at the time.
-Attempting to highlight her hair purple. Out of a box. Messy. Involved plastic cap with holes that you had to pull the hair to be highlighted through.
-Listening to Rolling Stones Tattoo You album, side two is still one of my favorites. Sarah also gave my younger sister her first (and only) record album. The Knack, My Sharona.
-Getting hired by her mom to paint the window screens at their house beige.
-Getting hired by her dad to be a custodian/janitor at the Electric company offices where he worked.
-In the colder months, hanging out in their living room in front of a fire blazing in the wood burning stove. Sometimes drinking Reunite (we thought it was so good!). Sometimes drinking Kalhua and milk (we thought that was good too!). Once I think we got a homemade bottle from her sister Janelle.
-Taking a trip to California over Christmas break my freshman year of college. We visited a friend there and were gone for 3 weeks and left on Christmas day 1981. I am pretty sure our mothers were not too happy about leaving on Christmas Day but the airfares were so much better then. This was (I think) my first trip sans parents and by plane. We went to San Diego, San Louis Obispo, Hollywood walk of fame, DisneyLand, and LA. We also went to Tijuana for a day and smuggled a few bottles of Kahlua back into the states, in the trunk, under the Mexican blankets. I was a wreck going through customs. Sarah and Jackie were cool as cucumbers. Still have my Mexican blanket though!
-Taking conditioning swimming class together at BlackHawk College. You had to swim as many laps as you could within the 60 minute class time. Sarah was much better than me.
-Sometimes going over to Iowa (drinking age was nineteen then) for Happy Hour after classes at BlackHawk, but not after swimming classes. We generally needed food after that.
-Visiting her in Galveston over Christmas break 1984-1985. She was living for a while in a beach house on the Gulf of Mexico. We had a rocking NYE party and ended up wading in the Gulf of Mexico. It was an absolutely beautiful evening. Her friend Julie, whom she met in Galveston was there along with a couple guys from her work.
-Spending the summer of 1985 rooming with Sarah while I interned at UT BioMedical Center. If she hadn’t let me crash on her couch I would not have been able to afford it. On Sundays we would collect a bunch of quarters and hang out at the UT swimming pool, swimming laps, sunbathing and drinking ice cold diet Cokes. Sometimes in the evening we would go out somewhere really affordable like the Swanky Club, which was definitely NOT Swanky. It did have cheap ice cold Lone Star beer on draft though. I remember going there the day before I headed back to Illinois. My mom had come down to help drive me back and Sarah helped us swiped ashtrays (why? I have no idea why) and Lone Star beer mugs. I remember this because it was so out of character for all of us and because I still have my beer mug to this day. I just checked!
-Visiting her in Indy and going to a hockey game (semi pro?) and also Colts/Jets football game with her and her boyfriend at the time.
I have photos particularly of our trip to California and time sent in Galveston, but I recently moved and they are in storage back in Geneseo. I have an awesome photo of us at the Swanky Club. Wish I could get my hands on them right now!
I will always miss you Sarah!
Denise De Bo
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From:
Arnn Family
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Saturday, August 27, 2016
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The following was sent through an e-mail from Erin McMurray to remembering.sarah.pickle@gmail.com:
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I first met Sarah in 2005 when we entered the Master of Nursing Program at Indiana Wesleyan University together. Paul and I were newly married and had just moved to Indiana from KY. We had no family or friends in Indiana, which was scary and exciting at the same time. I instantly liked Sarah. She was funny and outspoken in class. She was different from anyone I had ever known. We became friends and study buddies, proofreading each others work.
I was in awe of how long she had worked as a nurse at the VA in such an intense area. CardioThoracic ICU I believe? She had a love and respect for the veterans she took care of and mentioned they often remembered her name because it was Sarah Pickle!
I remember going to her house and seeing Matt, who was so cute! Practicing his music for school. Sarah loved Matt. He was the light of her life. She loved being his Mom and always spoke of him and what he was into at the time. She loved going to preschool with him and spoke of the life-long friendships with other Moms that she developed there. She loved when he got older having long philosophical discussions with Matt. And about the time Matt bought all the components at Frys to build his own computer! She was proud of him working with the computer team at the VA.
She spoke often of her book club, the books they were reading and her friends there. She would ask about recipe suggestions for foods to take. Sarah knew that I loved to cook and bake. I knew she loved to read and would always ask her for book suggestions.
Paul and I met Sarah at Charlestons for supper the night before I went into labor with our son Owen. She predicted it would be soon. She was right! And was one of the first people to visit us in the hospital. She gave Owen many many gifts through the years. We treasure the books she gave him, and the musical seahorse that he still listens to at 5 years old. When she would speak to Owen when he was little, she would throw her hands in the air, shake her fingers and say "Sarah". over and over! It would make him smile and laugh.
Owen was diagnosed with an aggressive form of leukemia when he was 8 months old. Sarah was present with us through the whole 2 years of his treatment. She listened, she came. She talked me into leaving the hospital for a few minutes and getting coffee. She cried with me. She worried with me. She did not offer false hope or reassurance. She rejoiced with us when he achieved remission and at every good checkup since then.
We would go to the Vera Sale together sometimes. She always said "this year, I'm not going to buy anything!" But she always did, and often it was more gifts for others than herself.
She loved her family. She loved her Mom and Dad and missed her Mom greatly when she passed away. She spoke of their life together. She spoke often of her sisters and brother and nieces and great-nephews. It was obvious that she loved you all dearly.
I miss you Sarah. I don't know why you had to leave us so soon. I will continue to think of you and what you would say and think about things. I hope that as I go back over our time together, I can learn to incorporate into my life the example you set with your love of other people and curiosity about their life.
I will also vote for Hillary, not just for myself but for you also. I just wanted you to know that. And I know you will be celebrating with me if she wins.
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