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Sarah Brooner Hatzfeld, 81, passed away on August 15, 2022 from Alzheimer’s complications. Her generous spirit and brilliant smile will be missed by family, friends, students and often, complete strangers. Born March 26, 1941 in Bartlesville, OK, she was a long-time resident of Philadelphia.
She is survived by George Hatzfeld, her husband of 57 years, two sons, Richard of Kensington, MD and David of Oak Grove, MO, a foster daughter, Valerie Mockapetris of Ellicott City, MD, a brother Bill Brooner of Vero Beach, FL, a sister Mary Brooner Hannah of Eugene, OR, and seven grandchildren.
Sarah taught vocal music in the Ambler school system, reared a family and in her late 50's, armed with a new master's degree, taught English-as-a-Second-Language in Philadelphia and at Camden County (NJ) College to immigrant adults, who gratefully received a side dose of social work to help them adapt. She used her maiden name “Sarah Brooner” as her moniker before the mid-century Women’s Movement made it fashionable.
At 62 she and George went to Bulgaria as Peace Corps volunteers where she taught ESL, returning in 2007 to train and become volunteer hospital assessors to qualify medical equipment shipments worldwide for U.S.-based Project C.U.R.E. From 2010-2015 she traveled alone to conduct seven multi-facility assessments in Cameroon, Mozambique and Mauritania (three in the Sahara), Romania and Indonesia, in addition to partnering for assessments in Ethiopia and South Sudan. She hosted in her Mt. Airy home an Albanian refugee family from Kosovo in 2000 for an extended stay, as well as a succession of students from Europe, Asia and Africa.
Her love of American history led her to become a sought-after tour guide in Olde City Philadelphia with Centipede Tours, and her love of music led her to sing in the choirs of First United Methodist Church of Germantown and Germantown Mennonite Church, and in Philadelphia’s 120-member Singing City Choir, with which she traveled to Israel, Egypt and Russia for concerts.
Through volunteerism, music and curiosity, she visited 49 states and 59 countries.
A celebration of life will be announced soon. Interment will be private.
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