WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. – Sara Miller Arnon: A Warrior and Fierce Fighter for Early Childhood Education.Sara Miller Arnon passed away on Sunday, April 25, 2021, at her longtime home in White Plains, New York. Sara was a warrior for justice, a fierce fighter for the education of all children, and steadfastly dedicated to family.Sara was born on April 13, 1945, in Oran, Algeria. Her mother, Gisèle Baroukel Miller, was French Algerian and her father, Howard Miller, was from Waterville, Maine. Before her first birthday, Sara and family moved to Waterville, where she attended grade school and high school. Sara remained deeply committed to the Waterville, Maine region throughout her life.Sara was incredibly proud of her Maine roots, which hail back to the late 1800s. Sara’s great-grandparents were William and Sarah Levine, founders of the iconic Waterville clothing store, Levine’s Store. Sara’s father, Howard Miller, her grandmother, Frieda Levine Miller, and her great-uncles, Ludy and Pacy Levine, were Waterville community fixtures, always present at Levine’s store and at Colby College. Sara was supportive of Waterville’s Beth Israel Congregation synagogue throughout her entire life.Sara attended Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts. Following college, Sara found her true passion and life’s calling in early childhood education. Sara became a ferocious advocate for the right of equal access to early childhood education. In 1970, Sara began her teaching career at a New York City full-day nursery school. She later earned a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Education from Manhattanville College and, in 1989, Sara joined Weekday Nursery School in New Rochelle, New York. During the next 22 years, Sara dedicated her life’s work to the growth, enrichment, and education of young people, in her role as Director of Weekday Nursery School. She also served as President of the White Plains PTA for several years and served on the Board of the Westchester Association for the Education of Young Children (WAEYC). Sara led initiatives to raise teaching standards and salaries, and also worked with manufacturers of children’s toys and equipment to ensure that children could remain safe and active. Additionally, she advocated for outdoor play for the young where they can use their bodies and imaginations with the natural settings.Sara enjoyed a 29-year marriage to Dan Arnon until his passing in 2001. They met in New York City and made a home in White Plains. With Dan, Sara raised three children – Joslyn, Benjamin, and Jeremy – who she adored. The ultimate loves of Sara’s life were her four grandchildren – Bianca, Adam, Maria, and Sienna. She doted on them and was a remarkably proud grandmother.Known to all who knew her as intensely funny, Sara was also a warrior. She battled multiple bouts of cancer with grace and dignity. Sara was also a relentless champion for social justice and for the equality of all people. She always made people feel heard and feel special. As one of Sara’s cousins remarked, “she was an incredible human being who managed to traverse the boundaries between tact and honesty, grace and humor, and courage and vulnerability.” Sara was a loving woman with a sharp wit, killer intellect, a gift for organizing, and she was always up for the ”good fight,’ for women in politics, for civil rights and for children’s issues.Sara served as a mentor to many young women, who saw Sara this way: “She was a unique person – a strong role model for modern women, smart, funny, beautiful…and she always had it together, no matter what life gave her.” Sara is survived by her three children, four grandchildren, and her loving sisters, Wendy Miller and Julie Miller-Soros.A virtual ceremony in honor of Sara will take place via Zoom on Wed, April 28, 2021, at 1 p.m., EDT. Visit here for the details including the Zoom link: https://afterword.com/stories/sara-miller-arnon. Donations in honor of Sara can be made to her favorite charity, NoKidHungry.org or to her favorite synagogue, Beth Israel Congregation

in Waterville.

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