Cecilia V. Saari passed away early Thanksgiving morning peacefully in her sleep on November 25, 2021. She was 89 years old.

She was born Cecilia Joan Vogelsang in La Porte, IN, on January 22, 1932, to Gertrude Fricke Vogelsang and Joseph George Vogelsang. Gertrude immigrated with her parents from Germany to the United States when she was a baby. Joseph was born in Louisville, KY, to parents who had also immigrated from Germany. Gertrude was a nurse that tended to returnees from WWI and patients sick with the 1918 pandemic flu.

Cecilia is survived by her sister, Juanita Vogelsang Jones, and daughters Gena, Lise and Carol, four grandchildren and nine nieces and nephews. She is predeceased by her brother, Hubert Vogelsang, sisters Eunice and Pearl Vogelsang and husband, John (Jack) M. Saari and nephew, Matthew P. Pond.

While growing up in LaPorte, Cecilia and her sister would help around the house as their mother worked at the nearby hospital and their father traveled for business. Cecilia was always a good student and when she graduated from high school she followed Juanita to Rochester, MN, where Juanita was studying to earn her nursing degree.

Cecilia got a job in a research laboratory at the Mayo Clinic where she met her future husband, Jack Saari. He was studying physics in graduate school at the University of Minnesota. They were married in the University chapel in September of 1951.

Their first daughter, Gena, was born in Minneapolis and when Jack got his first job at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, TN, Lise and Carol were born. The family moved to Seattle, WA when Jack got a job at the Geo-Astrophysics Laboratory, Boeing Scientific Research Laboratories. His work studying the hot spots on the moon informed NASA of locations for the manned lunar landings. Cecilia pursued her undergraduate degree in psychology at the University of Washington, while keeping house and raising her three young daughters. She attended full time and graduated Phi Beta Kappa. She then continued her education in the School of Social Work and was awarded a master's degree in social work. Cecilia's tenacity to receive her degrees was an example for her young daughters.

Her middle daughter, Lise, earned her Ph.D. degree and is a university professor, Gena works in a research lab and Carol is a city planner. Cecilia's first job was at Ryther Child Center, where she job-shared with another mother who also had young children.  Cecilia was on the frontline of women joining the workforce in her community. As one of the first "working moms", she was following in the footsteps of her mother and older sister. Later, Cecilia wrote a grant for President Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society, War on Poverty, Model Cities Program to provide social services to underserved Seattle Public School elementary school children. Her program was singled-out by United States Senator Warren G. Magnuson as an exemplary model program. Cecilia finished her career at the State of Washington Department of Health.

In her retirement, Cecilia was the group leader of the Retired Rovers for the Mountaineers. She also enjoyed international travelling with friends and even had a chance to meet the Pope. She also enjoyed traveling to Eastern Oregon to visit with Juanita and family. She and Juanita loved to explore, often taking scenic routes up side-roads into the mountains. Cecilia learned to sew in her grandfather's tailor shop and especially enjoyed sewing for her children and grandchildren when they were young. She taught her three daughters to sew. Cecilia always loved to sing and had a beautiful voice. She was a member of the Choraleers at the Lawrence Township Senior Center. Although Cecilia was a busy, working mother, she would always prepare a huge Thanksgiving dinner with all the trimmings for the family. For many years, Cecilia and Juanita would take turns preparing the Thanksgiving meals and the families would travel between Seattle and Portland to be together. Soon after Thanksgiving, Cecilia would bake the German cookies, Lebkuchen, which she would carefully pack in tins and store in a cool place until Christmas, as was the German tradition.

Cecilia's family would like to extend a special thank you to the caregivers and staff of Artis Senior Living in Princeton Junction, NJ, for the loving care they provided Cecilia.

There will be a private service honoring Cecilia's life.