Sara Harkness

Sara Vaughan Harkness

(1936–2026)

On May 18th, 2026, surrounded by her family, Sara passed peacefully into the presence of her Lord and Savior where Miner and her grandson Travis were waiting for her.

Sara Vaughan Harkness was born on August 8, 1936, in Tianjin, China. She was the only daughter of Sara R. Vaughan and Francis F. Vaughn, who lived in China for more than 15 years working as an executive with Standard Oil. During this time, her family kept their home on Balboa Island in Newport Beach, California. Sara, along with her brothers Porter and Charlie, enjoyed many summers on Balboa. In 1941, just before the war began, the family left China to return to California.

Upon their return, they settled in Santa Monica, Sara graduated from Santa Monica High School and pursued higher education at both USC and UCLA, receiving her degree from UCLA. After college, she became a flight attendant for American Airlines. She relished the adventure, travel and independence of working for the airline and continued to fly until she married.

Following in her late mother’s footsteps, Sara went back to school and became a Registered Nurse. Her career as a critical care nurse lasted over 30 years. She worked primarily at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, California, and then at USC Keck Hospital in Los Angeles. Sara loved nursing. She took a special interest in mentorship and helped many young nurses build confidence and skill at the beginning of their careers. Sara was remembered fondly by many of her colleagues for years after her retirement for her devotion and leadership.

Although she loved her work, Sara’s family was her world. She was married to the love of her life, Miner, for 58 years until Miner’s death in December of 2021. Together they made their home in Sierra Madre, California, where they raised their children and contributed to a vibrant tightknit community for more than 35 years. She later became a member of the daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) once she was able to trace her lineage to the founding of the country.

Sara was a wonderful Mother to her four children: Jacques, Philippe, Claudine, and Andrea, a loving grandmother to Sonya and Rick, Travis and Eric, Jordan and Drew, and a devoted great-grandmother to Billie, Bode and Christian, Delilah and Eloise, Joel, and Minnie (Miner Lynn). All her grandchildren and great grands knew her as the feisty, joyful, and always curious Nana.

Sara and Miner shared a love of adventure and travel. They skied, hiked, backpacked, surfed, and sailed the world with their family and many friends. They found as much joy and wonder walking the well-worn trails of the San Gabriel Mountains as they did on a long trek through the Waipio Valley of Hawaii (during a hurricane!). As they aged, they explored Europe and its history, museums, and culture. Of all her many destinations, Sara most loved the south of France.

Retirement did not slow Sara down. In June 2000, Sara and Miner moved to Hailey, Idaho, to a home built by their son Jacques and designed by their son-in-law Mark, on the East Fork of the Bigwood River. Miner and Sara loved their lives there and everything Idaho had to offer—skiing, hiking, striking nature, summer symphonies, a close and welcoming church community, quiet snowy nights, the babbling of their river. Sunset dinners on the patio with visiting family and Lucia (niece), Jeff (nephew) and their girls Morgan and Nya who lived nearby were a regular event. Jacques & Philippe were a constant presence, whether stopping in to stay hello or helping with a project around the house or an impromptu lunch in Ketchum. Their lives in Idaho were rich in with family and love.

Until just a few months before her passing, Sara was living independently in her home in Idaho, enjoying a full and active life. She spent her final months in the California sunshine. Her days were filled with family, lunch dates with friends, dinners and movies out, enjoying her great granddaughter’s ballet recitals, sharing ice cream cones and cookies with Deliah, Eloise and Joel, snuggles with Minnie, and many walks and meaningful conversations on the patio with family and friends. We will miss her joy, her strength and most of all, her.

Sara is predeceased by her husband, Miner Y. Harkness, her stepson Richard H. Harkness, her grandson Travis Miner Miranda, and her brother Porter D. Vaughan.

Sara is survived by her four children Jacques Lalanne (wife Dannette), Phillippe Lalanne, Claudine Miranda (husband Torry), Andrea Barrett (husband Mark); her seven grandchildren, her six great-grandchildren, her brother Charlie Vaughan (wife Mandy), her many nieces, nephews and dear friends. What a beautiful life she lived and a legacy she left.