Sara Elizabeth Thauburn Welch died peacefully with her children by her side on Saturday, Aug. 7, 2021, after a long battle with metastatic endometrial cancer.
Born on Oct. 3, 1948, Sara was the youngest of five children born to Bruce E. and Gertrude (May) Thauburn. Sara lived with her family in her father’s childhood home in Hasting on Hudson, New York. In 1985, she planted roots in Versailles, at what she would call Shadow Wood Sanctuary, and created a beautiful and serene home in which she raised her children. Sara is the proud mother of SMSgt. Brion M. Welch and Chelsea L. (Welch) Marohn.
Sara developed a deep passion for horses from a young age, and this love shaped her future. She loved the backside of the racetrack and was intertwined in the thoroughbred racing industry for her whole life. This led her to a career in teaching and sales in the world of equine diagnostic ultrasound. Sara also spent time as a veterinary technician at Randall Veterinary Hospital, Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital, Woodford Veterinary Clinic, and with Dr. Norman Rantanen.
Sara was a woman of great integrity, compassion, determination, and brutal honesty. Her sense of humor allowed her to continue to find the silver linings in life, even when it seemed that all odds were stacked against her. Sara left immeasurable footsteps wherever she went and has left a lasting impression on every person who had the pleasure of being a part of her life.
She is survived by her beloved children, Brion (Rebecca) Welch and Chelsea (David) Marohn; her sisters, Mina Jane (Richard) VanDyne, Mary Edith (Dan) Erlandson, and Ann Catherine (Jim) Buck; her brother, Bruce Herbert Thauburn; her treasured grandchildren, Gabriel, Caitlin and Emerson; and her remarkable nieces and nephews. She loved all of her tribe fiercely. Sara was preceded in death by her parents.
Sara’s wishes were to be cremated with no services to be held. The Rocky Mountains were calling her… so she went.
Condolences may be sent to her children via P.O. Box 1101, Brainerd, Minn. 56401.