Ms. Sarah Elizabeth Ballentine

***ATTENTION FAMILY & FRIENDS**** A Celebration of Life Gathering is being planned for January of 2025. Please visit this page for further details to come.**** ___________________________________ The Obituary On September 18, 2024 Sarah Elizabeth Ballentine, 38, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, was suddenly tragically taken from her loved ones after succumbing to injuries from being hit by a car, in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Sarah was born on September 7, 1986, a beautiful Sunday afternoon, to parents Mitzi L. Wright, of Kingsley (formerly of Kalamazoo, MI) and David D. Ballentine of Silver Lake, IN, (formerly of Kalamazoo, MI). Sarah grew up in Kalamazoo and graduated from Comstock High School in 2004. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing. Becoming a Mom in 2007 was very important to her and despite the ups and downs that she endured, her children, Landon, Leah, IZabella, Hunter and Chance were her “Shining Lights”, and her motivation to continue to try to do and be better. Sarah was baptized in Three Rivers, Michigan at Riverside Church, when she was 29. She was so very proud of this connection to our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ. As an organ donor, an honor walk was held at Bronson Hospital, where so many of her family and friends lined the halls, most wearing her favorite color, Orange, to pay tribute to Sarah as she entered the operating room to give the gift of continued life to four people. Regardless of the path that she walked, Sarah was always there with a smile and oh, that smile was infectious. Sarah is remembered as kind-hearted and having a beautiful soul. She was, IS and ALWAYS WILL BE her Momma’s FFTL-“First FOREVER True Love”. How lucky are we to have loved someone that makes saying Goodbye—So Hard. Sarah is preceded in death by her grandparents, Milton (“Mitt”) and Mary Lou Wright, uncles and aunts, James Lewis, Roger Wright, Steven Wright, Gary and Anita Wright, and aunts, Robin Bowen and Chris Anderson and her stepmother, Margie Ballentine. Sarah is survived by her children, Landon, Leah, IZabella, Hunter and Chance; her parents, Mitzi (Tim Kizer) Wright and David Ballentine; brothers and sisters, David Ballentine, Savannah Ballentine, both of Kalamazoo and Chase Kizer, Kingsley (formerly Kalamazoo) and Meghan McKillip of Kingsley; grandparents, Alice and Kevin Dingman of Marcellus, MI; aunts and uncle Karan Wright of Kalamazoo, Ivy Sheehan of Three Rivers, Shannon (Ronnie) Williams of NC, Pat (Pam) Kizer of Kalamazoo, Deb Wright (wife of the late Roger Wright) and special aunt/cousin Kimmi Coy; and cousins, Shawn Wright and Joshua Shue, who may not have known it, were the best cousins ever. Sarah was very close to nieces and nephews Justine, Destiny, Noah, Mitzi and Renwick and Ben; special friends, Jackie Borden, Sarah Clapper and Ciarra Taylor were her “Ride or Dies”-Reasons, Searson – but Lifetime Friends Forever. Sarah maintained a close relationship with Leonard (Lenny) Metheny, who is the father of her 3 youngest children. Although they were no longer together, they shared a special bond, Best Friends ‘Til The End!