Sarah Thorson Little

Published by editor on Tue, 05/16/2023 - 1:19pm

Sarah Little, of Seattle, WA, passed away on April 9, 2023, at the age of 75. She was born in Eagle Grove, Iowa to Frances Suter and Carl Thorson.

After finishing high school and a year at Grinnell College in Iowa, Sarah moved to Seattle to attend the University of Washington. It was there that she met the love of her life, Wallace “Will” Little. Sadly, just a few short years into their marriage, tragedy struck when Will died of a sudden heart attack in 1977.

Though she suddenly found herself a single mother of two small boys, Sarah didn’t want her children to grow up not knowing their father or their family history. In her limited spare time, she started the hobby of genealogy. Over time, this avocation turned into a full-time job.

Never one for the limelight, she quietly used her research talents to help authors, lawyers and many others find missing family members. Just one example is when Ellen Fitzpatrick, the author of Letters to Jackie: Condolences from a Grieving Nation, reached out to Sarah for help. Ellen was struggling to find some of the people (or their living relatives) who had written letters to Jacqueline Kennedy after the death of her husband, and she couldn’t publish their letters without permission. Sarah used her decades of experience and unique research skills to solve the mysteries in no time.

Sarah also inspired many budding family historians through her certificate program at the University of Washington. For more than two decades, she taught people from all walks of life how to find elusive ancestors and to view them as real humans, not just names and dates.

In the last several years, she put aside her ancestors and focused on her living family members. She lit up whenever she spent time with her grandson, Kobi, and was always happy to tell you what her boys – Thorson and Greg – were doing. She was so proud of all three.

In addition to her sons and grandson, Sarah leaves behind her sister, Mary. Sarah was preceded in death by her parents and loving husband.

A service will be held sometime this summer.