Remembering Sarah Dundas

The Morris County Democrats mourns the loss of former Vice Chair and beloved member of the Morris County community, Sarah Dundas.

Sarah Murray Dundas died peacefully at home in Morris Township, New Jersey, on January 4th, 2022. She was 75 years old. The cause was cancer. Sarah's wonderful qualities included her gift for connecting with people from all walks of life, making them feel truly valued. In these trying times she remained a feisty optimist with an engaging smile and a ready sense of humor.

Born in Toledo, Ohio, on June 4th, 1946, Sarah leaves a husband of 53 years, Michael Dundas; her son, Brendan, his wife Kady, and her grandsons Ben and Tom, of Seattle WA; her son, Matthew, and Mary, his wife, of Brooklyn NY. Sarah also leaves behind a lengthy email contact list of friends and a well thumbed address book.

She taught at a British high school serving a hardscrabble demographic, then by contrast, at a private school in tony Grosse Pointe MI. Before retirement in 2008, she was a counselor at Bernardsville High School, NJ. Sarah was a Martin Luther King State Commissioner, a former vice chair of the Democratic Party for Morris County, and a candidate in three Morris Township elections, substantially boosting her party's share of the vote. Active in gun control, immigrant housing, and the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, Sarah was a founder of the delightfully named Dem Damsels who shared their views over Panera lunches. Attested to by occasional bumper stickers and banners, Sarah strove to make the world a better place and succeeded.

Sarah enjoyed hiking (her humor and good spirits sorely tested in drizzly northern England), watching TV murder mysteries set in charming English villages (particularly "Vera" bossing around her male underlings) and a good laugh with friends over a glass or two of Savignon Blanc. Photos show her with an open smile reflecting her character, facing the camera and the world with buoyant confidence and vitality.

Donations in Sarah's memory can be made to United Way of Northern New Jersey, an organization she worked for as a volunteer, at 222 Ridgedale Ave #301, Cedar Knolls, NJ 07927. A memorial service will be held at Morristown Unitarian Fellowship at a later, and hopefully healthier, time.