Sara B. Hannah

Sara Hannah, 94, of Waco, peacefully went to be with her Lord and Savior on March 1, 2023, surrounded by her loved ones.

Graveside Service: 10 a.m., Saturday, March 4, at Waco Memorial Park. No visitation is planned.

Sara was born on October 1, 1928, to her beloved father, Alfredo Paez in Barranquilla, Colombia. She was always proud of her home country and Spanish heritage.

In her early teen years, Sara moved across the country to the United States where she graduated from an elite boarding school in New York. Shortly thereafter, she met Donald Ray “Sonny” Hannah at a hospital in Denver, Colorado, while both being treated for Tuberculosis in the late 1940s. Sonny, the unofficial hospital DJ, fell in love with Sara during their stay. They were married on December 26, 1953 and moved to Waco to begin their lives together. Sara and Sonny went on to have 2 children, Ricky and Vikki Hannah and were married for 55 years before Sonny’s passing.

Sara was a dedicated teacher’s aide and substitute teacher in Waco ISD for over 35 years. She was passionate about teaching Spanish and Geography and loved building relationships with the young teens. Sara also served the Catholic Church by leading children’s Sunday School for many years.

Sara retired in her 70s and spent her days gardening, crocheting, ceramic making, jewelry shopping, spoiling her dogs and watching her telenovelas and soap operas. Sara was always ‘dolled up’, socializing and listening to music, especially Tom Jones and Ricky Martin, and enjoyed dancing salsa. She could still do a little ‘shimmy’ up until her last days. Her favorite title she held was being Grandma to her 3 granddaughters before being promoted to “Nana” to her five great grandsons. She still was holding out for a great granddaughter.

Sara was preceded in death by her father, Alfredo Paez; husband, Donald (Sonny) Hannah; and grandson, Devon Hannah.

She is survived by her two children, Ricky Hannah and his wife, Daune, Vikki Burkholder and her husband, Butch; three granddaughters, Crystal Palmeri (Jimmy), Erica Danna (Andrew), and Gabrielle Seale (Matthew); and five great-grandsons, Andrew Danna Jr., Jack Danna, Denver Seale, Camden Taylor, and Crew Seale.

Place of Service: Waco Memorial Park , 6623 S. IH-35; Robinson, TX 76706