Sarah Beamer Stevens

Sarah Beamer Stevens, whose big, beautiful smile brought warmth to everyone she met, passed away peacefully in her sleep on September 5, 2026. She was 94 years old and living in Davis, California.

Born in Duluth, Minnesota on June 6, 1932, to Leon and Estelle St. Germain Beamer, Sarah grew up chasing after her two older brothers, Daniel and David. She reveled in time outdoors, ice skating and sledding in the winter and roller skating down the steep streets in the summer. Both of Sarah’s parents passed away before she graduated from high school, and her brother David stepped in to help guide her through college and her early career.

After college, Sarah moved with David and his family to Walnut Creek, California, where she taught third grade for several years. David served as a pastor at Walnut Creek Presbyterian Church, where Sarah eventually met and fell in love with John “Dennis” Stevens, a seaman recently discharged from the US Navy.

Sarah and Dennis moved many times across the country over the next few years as Dennis advanced in his career and they started a family. They welcomed two daughters, Lisa and Tracy, and Sarah settled in to be a full-time homemaker and mom extraordinaire. She wanted her home to be the place all the neighborhood kids hung out, working tirelessly to make it comfortable and welcoming. She was deeply involved in her daughters’ schools, acting as PTA President on more than one occasion. Whether she was playing guitar and singing songs around the campfire, jumping off the boat in the Sacramento Delta, beachcombing in Hawaii, or skiing down the slopes in Tahoe, Sarah taught her daughters to love the outdoors and revel in all of Nature’s gifts.

Sarah loved having her “hands in the dirt.” You could find her outside first thing in the morning, sun hat and gardening gloves on, making her entire yard lush and vibrant with color. She was an avid birdwatcher and, over many years, transformed her outdoor spaces into welcoming habitats for birds, bees, and pollinators.

Sarah and Dennis traveled extensively — visiting Europe several times, exploring Asia and the Caribbean, trekking across the U.S. in their motorhome, and regularly returning to their beloved north shore of Kauai. As an empty-nester, Sarah redoubled her efforts to create colorful and inviting spaces wherever they landed: a rented condo in Hawaii, a motorhome on the Oregon Coast, and even a houseboat. At home, each new season meant a full change in decor to honor nature’s changing colors—even if the garage couldn’t hold one more plastic tub of decorations.

Lisa married Andy Carmichael and made her home in Southern California, where Sarah and Dennis took every opportunity to visit. Tracy married Stuart Kaplan, and they moved back to Davis, California to raise their family. From the moment her grandchildren, Sam and Aaron, arrived, Sarah instituted a weekly "Grandma Day." She always arrived with a full bag of Grandma’s books, new games to play, and parks to explore. She was an enduring, loving presence in their young lives, helping to shape the people they would become.

To Sarah, happiness was family. Every holiday, no matter how small, was an excuse to come together for fun, food, and laughter. Her smile shone the brightest while sitting at the end of the holiday table, surrounded by her family telling stories, singing songs, and enjoying the simple pleasure of being together.

Sarah is survived by her beloved husband, Dennis; daughters, Lisa and Tracy; sons-in-law, Andy and Stuart; and grandchildren, Sam and Aaron. The family held a private burial ceremony at the Davis Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Sacramento Audubon Society.