Sarah C. (Crumbling) Ransom

Sarah C. Ransom passed away on the evening of April 21st, 2022, at home, surrounded by her family.

She was born Sarah Elizabeth Crumbling to the late Harry Ammon and Rena Elizabeth (Terry) Crumbling, at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre on February 7th, 1941.

Sarah grew up in Troy, Pennsylvania, and was a 1958 graduate of Troy High School and a 1962 graduate of the University of Buffalo School of Nursing. Her classmates from THS and UB Basics were dear to her and she maintained her connection to them throughout her life. She would go on to earn a master’s degree in Community Health Administration from Long Island University.

Sarah started her career as a nurse in Buffalo, Ithaca, and Syracuse. She moved into health administration in New York City, first at a small hospital in Brooklyn, then with the Health and Hospitals Corporation, the Professional Service Review Organization, and the New York City Medical Assistance Program. Her primary interest was discharge planning and continuity of care. She was the founder and president of the American Association for Continuity of Care, and shared her expertise nationally as an energetic advocate and speaker in the field.

In 1984 Sarah moved to Kalamazoo, Michigan, to join the Upjohn Company’s national home care division as a Marketing Program Manager. She was promoted to be the Assistant Director of Field Operations, then the Director of Government Programs — the first woman to become a Director in the company’s history.

In 1991 she returned home to Bradford County, settling in Sayre, to become the Manager of Guthrie’s Med Supply Depot, guiding its transition from a joint venture to an independent operation. She then served in the newly established position of Community Health Improvement Coordinator, before retiring in 2003.

Sarah had an enduring connection with Troy High School, where her parents had taught for many years and where her father was the principal, and she served on the board of the Troy Area School District Foundation. In 2005 she revived the Troy High School Alumni Association, which had faded away in the 1970’s after nearly 100 years of activity. The Association now once again provides support to students, parents, administration, and the wider community. In 2010 Sarah was inducted into the Foundation’s Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Sarah had a strong sense of civic engagement and responsibility, just as her parents had before her. She was a founding member of the Bradford County Partners for Family and Community Development and served on its board for many years. She also served on the boards of the Bradford County United Way, Robert Packer Hospital, The Bridge, Troy’s Glenwood Cemetery, the Bradford County Library, and the Valley Chorus. She served a four-year term on the Sayre Borough Council with a special interest in the borough’s parks.

Sarah was an energetic member of the Valley United Presbyterian church, serving as an Elder and a Deacon, and took great joy in singing in the choir. Through the church she coordinated the Athens Chow for Children program, which provides food for Head Start children and their families on weekends during the school year. Sarah and her children were very grateful for the love and support they received from Sarah’s church family during her illness.

In 1999 Sarah married William H. (Bill) Ransom, III. They made a beautiful life together, traveled the world together, and their union brought them great strength and happiness. Bill passed away in 2014 after a courageous battle with cancer. 

Sarah’s brother, Harry Ammon (Hap) Crumbling, Jr of Houston, Texas, passed away in 2011.

With her first husband, the late Wendell L. Craig, Sarah had two sons, Jeffrey and Bradley, and a beloved granddaughter, Kira Webb-Craig, all of New York City, who survived her. She had great affection for her niece, Sharon Crumbling and husband John, and their children, Isabella and Luke, of Houston, Texas. Her nephew, Scott Crumbling, also from Houston, passed away in 2021. Sarah had a lifelong bond of love and affection with the Craig family — Connie and Gary (Tiffany), Jim and Connie, Ben and Donna, and Laurie (Madsen).

Sarah loved her family, her friends, her garden, and her view of Island Pond which she treasured until the end. She will be missed.

“What we have once enjoyed we can never lose. All that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”

 -  Helen Keller

Donations in Sarah’s memory may be made to the William “Bill” Ransom, III Community Service Award at the Community Foundation for the Twin Tiers, 104 W. Lockhart Street, Unit 2, Sayre, PA 18840, www.twintierscf.org

A memorial service, and interment at Mountain Lake Cemetery, are planned for the summer.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of The Thomas Cremation and Funeral Service, 1297 Elmira St., Sayre, Pa. Those wishing to leave a sympathy message for Sarah's family may do so at thomascremationfuneralservice.com

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