Sara Sterphone Rind, 33, passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at 4:28 a.m. surrounded by her husband, sibling, and mother. Sara was born April 6, 1988 to Stacy and Joseph Sterphone at West Point, NY. She was raised in Hillsborough, New Jersey with her sibling, J, where, in her sophomore year of high school, she met her husband, Eric Rind.
Sara was an active member of school and regional choirs her entire youth, including a high school performance at The Met in Lincoln Center. Her love of performing extended to drama productions. She was a standout in a County College of Morris variety show and as Jessica in “The Merchant of Venice” at Playhouse 22 in East Brunswick, NJ. During this time, she also found community in playing and ultimately designing board games with a cadre of friends and colleagues, developing a lifelong hobby.
In 2013, Sara moved to Santa Barbara, California, where she was reunited with Eric and where she and J rekindled their relationship. Here, she took on a job as an academic advisor for the College of Creative Studies at the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she became an integral member of the campus community. During her time at CCS, Sara redefined what it meant to be a student advocate through her tireless service. Sara and Eric were married in 2013 in a small ceremony in the hills overlooking Santa Barbara County attended by their immediate families and close friends.
Among Sara’s hobbies and interests were snowboarding, hiking, and scuba diving. She and Eric traveled with his parents, Guy and Eileen, for scuba diving trips, including a trip to the Philippines in August 2019. Sara and Eric also frequently took trips to national parks and mountains for hikes and snowboarding. During her time at home, Sara was quite partial to nights in playing board games with her husband and friends or heckling campy horror movies with J and her friend David.
Sara’s impact on her community, friends, and family was matched only by her desire to put others before herself. Please join us in remembering her as we do: a caring, generous, fiercely joyful person.
In lieu of flowers, donations in remembrance of Sara can be made to some of the following organizations Sara was passionate about:
Sara Sterphone Memorial Fund
- The UCSB College of Creative Studies is establishing a memorial fund in Sara’s name recognizing student service and accomplishment. Donating here would help to fund this student award.
- https://ccs.ucsb.edu/give
Planned Parenthood
https://www.plannedparenthood.org/get-involved/other-ways-give
Wheeling, WV YWCA Women’s Shelter
https://ywcawheeling.org/programs/womens-residence/ (use donate button)
Save the San Marcos Foothills
https://www.savesanmarcosfoothills.org/
Ridley Tree Cancer Center / Cancer Foundation of Santa Barbara
https://www.ridleytreecc.org/cancer-center/cancer-foundation-of-santa-barbara