Sara Gainer Haimowitz

Rochester- Sara Gainer Haimowitz, born in Philadelphia PA, raised in Altamont NY and a resident of the Rochester NY area, passed away unexpectedly on Friday, October 21, 2022. She was 39. Sara attended the Capital Region BOCES Deaf and Hard of Hearing Program, graduated from the New York State School for the Deaf in Rome, NY and studied at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID). She enjoyed working at various retail and culinary establishments in Rochester. Sara found a home and community that she loved at the Rochester View Apartments operated by DePaul Services. Sara was a proud member of the Deaf community, and lived with some challenging disabilities. She had a unique way of connecting with the world around her, and was very observant of people and places she encountered.

At age 6, Sara was delighted to sit with Governor Mario Cuomo when he signed a law expanding the provision of American Sign Language interpreters to help hearing and deaf individuals communicate effectively. She did, however, feel a responsibility to advise him that his handwriting needed work. When the Governor passed away in 2015, Sara was interviewed by a reporter for Rochester's NBC TV affiliate and described Mario as a caring man and a strong advocate for people with disabilities.

Family meant everything to Sara. We loved her for her spirit, which was warm, funny, stubborn, generous, independent, loyal, and thoughtful. Sara kept in touch with many people, no matter how far, through social media. She was always the first to send birthday, holiday, and other well wishes.

Sara loved swimming; experiencing nature; being around young children, especially her niece Talia; helping her mom cook; and playing games with family and friends. She was incredibly skilled at word games, as well as devoted to playing other kinds of games with her RVA friends.

She is so beloved and missed by her parents Ann Gainer and Stephan Haimowitz; sister Avi Haimowitz; brother-in-law Albert Tharpe, IIl; niece Talia Haimowitz Tharpe; aunts Esta Cutler and Shelley Silverman; uncles Jay Silverman, Tom Gainer, and Mark
Gainer; and cousins Stephanie Levin, Jonathan Cutler, Howard Cutler, Sharon Lifschutz, Adam Gainer, and Anna Gainer.
Plans for a gathering to celebrate Sara's life will be announced within the next month on Avi Haimowitz's Facebook page.

Donations in Sara's honor may be made to CSD Unites Community Foundation online (foundation.csd.org/donate) or by mail (PO Box 206938, Dallas, TX 75320-6938).

To leave a special message for the family online please visit NewComerAlbany.com