Sara Moonka | Obit

Sara Blanche Moonka

November 13, 1996- May 10, 2026

Sara was kind and thoughtful. Walking to catch the bus after work, Sara’s colleague was put off by the number of worms stranded on the sidewalk ahead of them after a brief rain. Maybe her workmate found them gross, or maybe she was concerned for the worms’ welfare. Seeing her friend’s distress, Sara gently moved all the worms to the grass.

Sara valued and nurtured friendship and understood the role of serendipity in the associations we all make. She was once seated with strangers at a wedding in Philadelphia, and all the table mates were Seattle-ites. They left the festivities as fast friends. With Sara’s help, their chance coming together has endured through intentional action, and in communications they still refer to themselves as “Table 13”.

Sara didn’t have a lifestyle or work schedule that would allow for a cat or dog. But she won a contest at work, and her award was a choice between goldfish crackers or a goldfish. She chose the later, and took the responsibility for another living seriously. Though a girl on a budget, she bought the tank and filter and heater and accessories, so that the inch long fish named “Ted” would have a good home. After a time, she worried he would be lonely while she was at work, and bought a companion fish. But a couple years of liberal feeding had turned Ted into a six inch monster whose appetite far outweighed any interest in a friend, so that would be the last fish she purchased. She would laugh when she won him. She was charged a Pet Fee by the Uber driver, which she good-naturedly paid, conceding the driver’s unarguable logic.

Sara attended the University of Washington, and left after her four years fully formed and devoted to the football team. What began as a pro forma social act of attendance in the student section became a rite, and as time went on, NFL teams with Huskies on the roster rose dramatically in her estimation, while teams with Ducks and Cougars fell. She made an exception for the Philadelphia Eagles and honored her father by adopting his team, and they cursed and rejoiced alongside one another with the ups and downs of the seasons.

Sara Moonka died on May 10, 2026. She had managed her epilepsy as best she could, was faithful taking her medication, and memorized many King County bus schedules so she could enjoy Seattle and her friends despite not being able to drive. But she had a seizure in her sleep, which can be fatal. She is deeply mourned by all who knew her, and by her mother and father, who loved and cherished her beyond measure.