Life Story: Sarah Bowman
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- You may have heard the saying "To a have friend, you must first be a friend." A friend is exactly what Sarah Bowman was to so many.
Sarah lived on a farm in northwestern Hennepin County. She loved taking care of horses, but also spent a lot of time enjoying live music and art shows in Minneapolis.
In this week's Life Story, we learned how Sarah is being remembered as a community volunteer and a cherished friend.
"She was supportive and generous and full of love. It just radiated from her and just always felt better being in her presence," Sarah's childhood friend Luci Chorley said. "She was extremely generous with her love. If you had the pleasure of meeting her and were willing to open your heart to her, you would get love back tenfold."
Sarah Bowman's closest friends describe a compassionate woman with amazing warmth.
"She just had a bright light. She would light up a room when she walked in it. She wasn't somebody who wanted to be the center of attention. She used her light to illuminate everybody that she knew," said Kristen Amanda, another close friend.
And that might explain why Sarah served on the board of directors of the Cedar Cultural Center in Minneapolis. It's a place known for global music and for its support of emerging artists.
Sarah often joined her friends to take in shows, and frequently arrived late, earning her a nickname.
"They put up this website for Sarah called 'Second Set Sarah,'" Amanda said. "And the reason they say that is because she would always come late to shows," Amanda said.
"She absolutely had a hard time with time," Chorley said. "She did come late because she has so many things she was doing, but once she got there she was all in."
Sarah's connection to nature was something her friends admired. She transformed a barn into a home filled with beautiful antiques and artwork.
Outside, she took care of horses, chickens, dogs and cats, and spent time gardening.
"She has always been attached to Earth and fresh and free," Chorley said. "She's not encumbered by what other people think and she just did what she wanted and she was lovely at it."
Her friends are now discovering just how much she taught them.
"That would be the lesson I learned from Sarah -- To be in the moment." Amanda said. "Really embrace every moment like it's your last moment and just see the joy in life. Really enjoy the things you put yourself into."
Sarah Bowman was 58 years old. She died after an accident on her farm in Greenfield last month. Donations in her memory can be made to the Cedar Cultural Center.
