Sara Semmelroth, 89, of Coldwater, MI, passed away Monday, July 29, 2024 at Grand Vista Assisted Living in Coldwater, MI.
A memorial gathering will be held Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 4:00-7:00 p.m. at Dutcher Funeral Home in Coldwater.
Sara Jane Phipps was born May 10, 1935 to DeWitt Miley and Hulda Marie (Mossberg) Phipps in Evanston, IL. She had one brother, Theodore Phipps and grew up in Shaker Heights, OH.
Sara’s education included a Bachelor’s Degree in English from Allegany College, PA. and a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Michigan.
She married Dr. Carl Cay Semmelroth on November 27, 1958 in Shaker Heights, OH.
Sara worked and volunteered in a wide variety of social service settings throughout her career as a social worker spanning more than 60 years. Her volunteer work included founding a crisis call-in line and local low-income health clinic and serving as hospice director in Branch County.
Sara also provided services to a variety of refugee populations. She and her husband founded and operated multiple child day care centers in Cleveland, OH and Coldwater, MI. She retired from the Coldwater Reginal Center as a psychiatric social worker.
Sara and her husband Carl founded Semmelroth Counseling in 1974, located in Coldwater, MI. This business continues to this day.
Sara took great pride in her work and her family. She enjoyed joking with her family, telling stories about her life and making others laugh. She was an avid reader in a vast range of subjects and regularly participated in various book groups.
She loved playing gin rummy with her family, hosting family events and spoiling her grandchildren.
Sara and her husband raised five children. They lived in Ann Arbor, MI, Washington D.C. and Clevland, OH before settling in Coldwater, MI. After their children graduated from high school, Sara and Carl lived in Kalamazoo, MI before returning to Coldwater shortly before Carl’s death on June 13th, 2023.
Sara is survived by her five children Jean (Steve) Unroe of Coldwater, David (Joanna) Semmelroth of Quincy, Jennifer Semmelroth of Tigard, OR, Miley (Tia) Semmelroth of Hillsboro, OR, Melissa Semmelroth of Coldwater and her four grandchildren Katherine Unroe, Anna Unroe, Julia Semmelroth and Avery Semmelroth.
Sara was preceded in death by her parents DeWitt Miley and Hulda Marie Phipps, her brother Theodore Miley Phipps and her husband Carl Cay Semmelroth.
Memorials may be directed to the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Michigan.
Comments