Sara Hannah Padwe Simon

Sara Hannah Padwe Simon, 98, passed away peacefully on October 26, 2023. Raised in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, Sara attended Brooklyn College, majoring in economics. She also studied Spanish, allowing her to fully enjoy her extensive living and travelling abroad. While on an NYC Youth Hostel hike in 1950, she met Eric, her companion for the next 57 years. Sara and Eric began their love of adventure by camping in Guatemala on their honeymoon, and continuing on from there. Eric brought the family to live in Monterrey, Mexico, where Sara immersed herself in the culture and fluency of language, acting and directing in English and Spanish. Moving to Houston in the mid-70s Sara continued to participate in theater, appearing in Arsenic and Old Lace, The Man in the Glass Booth, among many other leading roles. She earned a master’s degree in theater at the University of Houston and taught Spanish. Sara's language skills were myriad. She also undertook French and German, becoming quite proficient. But she had a special love for Yiddish, acquired early at Camp Wo-Chi-Ca (Worker's Children Camp) and a local Yiddish after school program. She studied and honed this late into her 90s, and participated in the Yiddish Vinkel Houston annual Sholem Aleichem readings through last year. Reflecting her curiosity for foreign cultures, she and Eric travelled to close to 40 countries in their lifetimes. Anyone who knew Sara could not help but be astounded by her boundless energy, intellectual acumen, and appreciative sense of humor. She acted as a journalist with her probing questions and insight into issues. She applied these skills in writing for a variety of publications: Spanish language theater publications, local newspaper columns and Jewish Currents; working on her memoirs and translating Spanish to English. She was involved in many local causes, notably Planned Parenthood where in her 80s she escorted clients to the entrance. In her last conversation with her daughter Leslie, hours before she passed away, she asked that a check be sent in her name as a donation to her Jewish friend Jay Hamburger’s decades-long campaign to feed the Houston homeless. To honor Sara’s memory, donations may be made to Planned Parenthood of Houston/Gulf Coast , Jay Hamburger Serving the Homeless, https://www.gofundme.com/f/join-me-in-serving-the-homeless.; or an organization of your choice. Sara will be missed by her children Walker Simon and Rosalia Reyes Simon, Leslie and Alan Davis, and Cliff Simon and Bernadett Parrag ; and by her grandchildren Quint, Kari, Seth, Mia and Hanna. The family gathered during Passover 2023 to honor Sara whose 95th birthday was missed during Covid. Sara will be buried in Egelsbach, Germany, next to her beloved Eric, in his native village's Jewish cemetery. The family is grateful to the Medallion staff who cared for and appreciated her during these past six years.

Sara Hannah Padwe Simon

March 20, 1925 - October 26, 2023