Sara Jane Dorrel passed away on March 20, 2024, at Miami Valley Hospital in Dayton, Ohio. She was lifted up by her family and friends during her lengthy hospital stay.
Sara Jane was born November 28, 1948, to Herbert “Tub” and Lucy Smith Dorrel, the only one of her family born in a hospital. She was tormented and loved dearly by her two older brothers Dan and Dwane. Dad, Maw, Dan, and Dwane preceded her in death.
Sara graduated from Brookville High School in 1967 and then found her first love—Indiana University. She graduated from IU with a teaching degree in 1971. She was a rabid basketball fanatic and a dedicated IU alumna with season tickets for Indiana football. Her school spirit was never in question and lives on in her family.
Sara began her teaching career in Kankakee, Illinois in 1971. Then she returned home and started her 32-year teaching career for the Fayette County School Corporation in the fall of 1972. She taught science at Connersville Junior High for 14 years and then in 1986 transferred to Connersville High School to teach biology for the next 18, retiring in 2004. Popular with her students because of her wonderful sense of humor and the ways in which she consistently made science applications to the real world, she held them to high standards both personally and academically. Equally popular with her fellow teachers, Sara was a proud member of the Fayette County Federation of Teachers (AFT Local 2205) and for many years served on the Executive Board as a building representative and bargaining team member who was a vocal supporter of teacher rights. Following her retirement she was elected president of Fayette County Retired Teachers Assn. for one term.
Sara was a ten-year member of the Whitcomb Boosters 4-H Club and a lifetime supporter of Franklin County 4-H. She was also a member of the Franklin County EMS, the Twin Forks Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and a founding member of her beloved Odyssey group of friends.
Sara was a lifetime member of Whitcomb United Methodist Church, and Maw never let her skip Sunday School. She played piano in her youth, until her brother Dan would snicker from the last pew when she missed a note.
Cats have been her babies ever since her college roommate gave her a Siamese kitten, Amison.
She adopted many more over the years and leaves behind Carmen Kitty.
Besides the Hoosiers, Sara also loved to travel, advocate for teachers, attend musicals, unconditionally support her nieces and nephews, and would happily tell you what to do.
Those surviving who will cherish Aunt Jane’s memory include her sister-in-law Arlene “Hon” Dorrel, niece Angie (David) Kroll, niece Jodi (David) Amrhein, and nephew Denny (Sarah) Dorrel.
Her family includes great-nieces and nephews Howie and Joey Kroll, Eli and Ella Amrhein, and Dexter, Kate, and Dylan Dorrel. And, as she always said, “Cousins are the best.”
Visitation will be held at Cook-Rosenberger Funeral Home, 929 Main Street, Brookville, from 4-7 pm, Wednesday, March 27. The funeral service will be 10:30 am, Thursday, March 28, at Whitcomb United Methodist Church, with burial following at Big Cedar Cemetery. Everyone is encouraged to wear red.
Donations can be made to Big Cedar Cemetery and the Twin Forks Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. To sign the online guestbook or to leave a personal condolence, please visit www.cookrosenberger.com. The staff of Cook Rosenberger Funeral Home is honored to care for the family of Sara Jane Dorrel.