Sara White
June 23, 1937-Feb. 1, 2026
Portola Valley, California
On Sunday February 1, 2026, Sara Tolles White of Portola Valley, California, passed away peacefully at her home, surrounded by family.
Sara was the daughter of the late Nell and Raymond Pardee Tolles; the beloved wife of Robert Marshall White; the devoted mother of Victoria Taylor White (David Heyman) and Jonathan Marshall White (Deborah Flowers); and the cherished grandmother of Henry and Miles Heyman. She was predeceased by her sister Dana Beach and brother Dee Tolles.
Born on June 23, 1937, in Greenwich, Connecticut, Sara moved with her family at an early age to Lafayette, California. She graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a bachelor’s degree focused on political science, history and art history. Following college, she moved to Washington, D.C. to work for the U.S. Department of State. Soon after, she was posted to Bonn, Germany, where she lived for two years.
Upon returning to San Francisco, Sara joined the World Affairs Council, coordinating a weekly radio program titled World Affairs Are Your Affairs. This work ignited a lifelong passion for understanding global events and engaging in thoughtful discussion about the world.
In San Francisco, Sara met her future husband, Robert White who had recently earned his PhD in physics from Stanford University. They married in 1967 and shared 58 years of marriage marked by deep partnership and adventure. Sara accompanied Bob on professional travels around the world, including sabbaticals to the UK, France and Germany, as well as countless conferences across multiple continents. She embraced these experiences – and life itself - with curiosity, enthusiasm, and a love of learning and people, immersing herself in culture, conversations and the creation of life-long friendships wherever they lived.
The couple spent the first 18 years of their marriage in California, followed by five years in Minneapolis, three years in Washington, D.C., and ten years in Pittsburgh, before returning to Palo Alto in 2004. In 2017, they moved to the Sequoias Retirement Community in Portola Valley.
Wherever she lived, Sara was fully engaged in her community. She was deeply committed to volunteer work through her church and civic organizations and found great joy in gardening. She was a member of the Junior League, Colonial Dames, Garden Club of Palo Alto, and the Woodside Atherton Garden Club, among others. She also served as a docent at the de Young Museum of Fine Arts and volunteered extensively with PTA committees at her children’s schools. Ever curious, Sara, whether with a new acquaintance or a close family member, never missed an opportunity to embark in conversation on any subject or current event of the day.
Sara loved hiking, skiing, and tennis, and especially cherished time at the family's beautiful Mendocino cottage perched above the Pacific Ocean, where she delighted in walking the beaches, exploring tide pools and watching sunsets. Above all, she treasured time spent with family and friends, bringing to every relationship a positive outlook, remarkable determination, and seemingly boundless energy. With these qualities, no challenge was too great and no distance too far. From the High Sierra camps in California to the wind-swept summit of Mount Washington in New Hampshire, she embraced hiking adventures from coast to coast.
Sara loved the outdoors and sharing its beauty with others. In honoring her memory, those who wish may consider a donation to the Garden Club of Palo Alto ( Donations – Garden Club of Palo Alto ), or, if inspired, find beauty in nature - plant a tree, create a garden, or take a quiet walk by the ocean, in the woods, or wherever you may find peace and joy.
Tags: public service
