Obituary: Sarah Marie Liamos, 1992-2014, Pleasenton, CA 

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• Sarah Marie Liamos

Sarah Marie Liamos was easy to spot in a crowd with a beaming smile that depicted her tenacious nature and joie de vivre. Sarah was a Pied Piper for small children and the babysitter of choice for many during her early teens. She volunteered many summers as a junior counselor and counselor at Camp Taylor, a cardiac camp hosted in Livermore and Hawaii, where she served as counselor, mentor, role model, and friend to many young cardiac patients.

Sarah was born with a congenital heart defect that left her with one-half of a heart. It was more than enough when coupled with a beautiful spirit that focused on the betterment of others. Sarah and her family chose to downplay her physical limitations and instead focus on her many talents and achievements. Sarah continued to work for others during her college years, serving as a weekly volunteer at a Salvation Army after-school program for children of the working poor in Manchester, N.H. During her school breaks, Sarah spent time on college-sponsored community service outreach trips, where she assisted low-income children who were impacted by Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans and economically deprived children in Camden, N.J.

Sarah studied politics in college and worked as an intern for the Fox News Network during the Republican primary of 2012. She also served as a student ambassador for the New Hampshire Institute of Politics at St. Anselm College. Born in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Sarah was raised in Pleasanton, Calif. She is a 2010 graduate of Valley Christian School in Dublin and recently graduated in the class of 2014 at St. Anselm College in Manchester, where she received a BA in politics and a minor in criminal justice. She was enrolled at Suffolk University in Boston, where she planned to pursue studies as a paralegal this fall, and was a summer intern in the legal department of Insulet Corporation in Bedford, Mass. She is survived by her loving parents Karen and Charles Liamos of Pleasanton, sister Megan of San Francisco, and brother Michael of Pleasanton, grandparents Rita and Constantine Liamos of Englewood, Fla., and grandfather Michael Italiano of Queensbury, N.Y. Her grandmother Brenda Italiano preceded her in death. Sarah also leaves many aunts and uncles including Steve (Martha) Liamos of Nashua, N.H., Patricia (Larry) Picket of Englewood, Ted Liamos of Colchester, Vt., Suzanne (Tom) Young of New London, Pa., Mary Lee Italiano of Queensbury, and cousins Stephen, Jared and Katelyn Liamos of Nashua, Christina (Jeremy) Gustie of Sudbury, Mass., Nicole (Drew) Sumner of East Windsor, N.J., and Jessica and Brett Young of Pennsylvania.

A memorial service will be held at the Catholic Community of Pleasanton later this June with details to follow.

Immediate services will be held on the East Coast with a wake on Thursday, June 5, from 4 to 8 p.m. at LaVigne Funeral Home at 132 Main St. in Winooski, Vt., followed by a funeral on Friday, June 6 at noon at St. John Vianney Church, 160 Hinesburg Rd., in South Burlington, Vt.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Boston Adult Congenital Heart Program at Boston Children's Hospital at bostonchildrenshospital.org/giving. Checks made payable to Boston Children's Hospital can be mailed to Boston Children's Hospital Trust at 401 Park Drive suite 602, Boston, MA 02215. 

Donations can also be made to Camp Taylor at 5424 Pirrone Road, Salida, CA 94368. Online condolences may be shared with the family at lavignefuneralhome.com.