Sarah Belle Conard
April 18th, 1923 - May 29th, 2022
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Sarah's Obituary
Sarah Belle Conard, 99, of Stevensville, MI quietly fell asleep in the arms of Jesus on May 29, 2022 in the company of her children.
Sarah was born on April 18, 1923 to Charles Joseph and Flora Belle Montague in Danville, Illinois. She graduated as Valedictorian of her 1941 high school class in Cayuga, IN and two weeks later she married her husband, Merle B Conard on June 5. They had four children: William (Ruth) Conard of Evansville, IN, Dennis (Jan) Conard, Brenda (Dave) Merkel of Chadron, NE, and Margaret (Glenn) Poole of Benton Harbor, MI.
Sarah was a long-time resident of Berrien Springs, MI. She was a quiet, gentle and thoughtful woman yet very strong in her ideals and moral values. She often spoke of her love for Jesus and the miracles God performed for her and her children. She was a faithful Christian all her life and taught her children to love and have reverence for God. She was a member of the Village Seventh-day Adventist Church in Berrien Springs. Sarah loved books and taught her children and grandchildren to love to read. Her love for books and reading is a beautiful legacy she gave her family, as books were her usual gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
Sarah often turned to nature for respite from work and challenges of life. She was passionate about nature and had thousands of beautiful slides of birds and wild flowers that she took on many walks in the woods, through Indian Bowl searching for rare wild flowers, around wetlands and bird-watching trips. She taught a class in Wild Flowers to young Pathfinders for several years.
Sarah was a hard worker and held many jobs including school-bus driver, school cook, church custodian and she worked for 28 years for Andrews University all but two at the Berrien Bindery, as a specialty book repairer/binder of historic books and many cherished old Family Bibles. She was a perfectionist and her work demonstrated her attention to details. Following her retirement in 1988, she volunteered for several years with Louise Dederen in the White Estate Archives in James White Memorial Library and as a Foster Grandparent for the Berrien Springs Public Schools.
Sarah leaves behind her children, William (Ruth) Conard of Evansville, IN, Brenda Merkel of Chadron, NE, and Margaret (Glenn) Poole of Benton Harbor, MI; 13 beloved grandchildren, Melody (Steve) Nelson, Timothy Conard and Christy Davis of IL, Stephanie Kiefer of IN, Jeffrey Conard of KY, Jon Conard of NV, Dan (Mona) Simpson of TX, Floyd (Brenda) Merkel of NE, Tony Merkel of WI, Kathryn Merkel of WI, Victoria (Rico) Salgado of CA, Glenn II (Stephanie) Poole of FL and Tonya (Chad) Turner of VA; 23 great-grandchildren in CA, CO, NE, WI, IL, IN, SD, TN, TX, WA; and many dearly loved nieces and nephews.
Sarah was preceded by her parents; husband, Merle; brothers Lewis, Phillip and Ronald Montague; son-in- law David Merkel; son Dennis; daughter-in-law, Jan; and two grandsons, Steve Conard and David Kiefer.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be held in Rose Hill Cemetery, Berrien Springs, MI. The family requests that donations be made to Sarah’s Books, an Endowment within Berrien Community Foundation or Caring Circle of Lakeland. Arrangements have been entrusted to Heritage Chapel. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.heritage-chapel.com.
Sarah was born on April 18, 1923 to Charles Joseph and Flora Belle Montague in Danville, Illinois. She graduated as Valedictorian of her 1941 high school class in Cayuga, IN and two weeks later she married her husband, Merle B Conard on June 5. They had four children: William (Ruth) Conard of Evansville, IN, Dennis (Jan) Conard, Brenda (Dave) Merkel of Chadron, NE, and Margaret (Glenn) Poole of Benton Harbor, MI.
Sarah was a long-time resident of Berrien Springs, MI. She was a quiet, gentle and thoughtful woman yet very strong in her ideals and moral values. She often spoke of her love for Jesus and the miracles God performed for her and her children. She was a faithful Christian all her life and taught her children to love and have reverence for God. She was a member of the Village Seventh-day Adventist Church in Berrien Springs. Sarah loved books and taught her children and grandchildren to love to read. Her love for books and reading is a beautiful legacy she gave her family, as books were her usual gifts for birthdays and Christmas.
Sarah often turned to nature for respite from work and challenges of life. She was passionate about nature and had thousands of beautiful slides of birds and wild flowers that she took on many walks in the woods, through Indian Bowl searching for rare wild flowers, around wetlands and bird-watching trips. She taught a class in Wild Flowers to young Pathfinders for several years.
Sarah was a hard worker and held many jobs including school-bus driver, school cook, church custodian and she worked for 28 years for Andrews University all but two at the Berrien Bindery, as a specialty book repairer/binder of historic books and many cherished old Family Bibles. She was a perfectionist and her work demonstrated her attention to details. Following her retirement in 1988, she volunteered for several years with Louise Dederen in the White Estate Archives in James White Memorial Library and as a Foster Grandparent for the Berrien Springs Public Schools.
Sarah leaves behind her children, William (Ruth) Conard of Evansville, IN, Brenda Merkel of Chadron, NE, and Margaret (Glenn) Poole of Benton Harbor, MI; 13 beloved grandchildren, Melody (Steve) Nelson, Timothy Conard and Christy Davis of IL, Stephanie Kiefer of IN, Jeffrey Conard of KY, Jon Conard of NV, Dan (Mona) Simpson of TX, Floyd (Brenda) Merkel of NE, Tony Merkel of WI, Kathryn Merkel of WI, Victoria (Rico) Salgado of CA, Glenn II (Stephanie) Poole of FL and Tonya (Chad) Turner of VA; 23 great-grandchildren in CA, CO, NE, WI, IL, IN, SD, TN, TX, WA; and many dearly loved nieces and nephews.
Sarah was preceded by her parents; husband, Merle; brothers Lewis, Phillip and Ronald Montague; son-in- law David Merkel; son Dennis; daughter-in-law, Jan; and two grandsons, Steve Conard and David Kiefer.
A private memorial service will be held at a later date. Interment will be held in Rose Hill Cemetery, Berrien Springs, MI. The family requests that donations be made to Sarah’s Books, an Endowment within Berrien Community Foundation or Caring Circle of Lakeland. Arrangements have been entrusted to Heritage Chapel. Those wishing to leave an online condolence may do so at www.heritage-chapel.com.
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