Sarah Lewis, My Forever Camp Counselor

Going into my first year as director of Jacobs Camp, I was told that Sarah Lewis was a good helper to have around during the summer. I already knew Sarah was great because I was lucky enough to have had her as my counselor back when I was a camper. However, within hours of her arrival, it was clear that she was not just helpful, but in fact, indispensable. I knew that I could not run camp without her, and quickly made sure that she came back every summer after that.

It would be impossible to list all the things that Sarah did for Jacobs Camp. We kept lists running all year of ‘Sarah Lewis Projects’ that she would tackle handily, always asking what she could do next.  ‘Sarah Lewis’ became a verb at Jacobs Camp, and everyone who came into contact with Sarah fell in love with her personality and her skills.I have long said that while camp is all about fun and games, it is powered by organization, spreadsheets, and systems. I like to think of myself as organized, but when it comes to organization, Sarah was truly the queen.

Whenever we saw her minivan rolling up, full of organizational bins and her label maker, everyone would breathe a huge sigh of relief, knowing that Sarah was there to save the day, with the exception of Nadav, who always feared her arrival because he knew that his office was about to be cleaned out.

Like many in our community, Sarah’s camp friends were her best friends. There was one summer that Sarah was not able to volunteer during intersession & Opening Day because she was going on a birthday trip with her camp girls. I was not sure how we would get through the busy time at camp without her, and we joked that I would only allow it because I knew how much she loved her camp girls, and it was true. 

Sarah was the ultimate caregiver. She knew when to comfort and when to push.  She was one of my favorite people to sit and dish with a few quiet words and laughs. And her candy stash! Bless her for always having candy.

She was so proud of being a camp couple and even prouder of her family’s involvement and legacy at camp. Sarah’s family was her whole world, and her family is our family. All of our love goes out to Jeff, Jessica, Rebecca, and Eli. 

Since it was founded, Jacobs Camp has always been sustained by passionate volunteers, and Sarah was the absolute best. She had such a wide impact on our community, and was loved and respected by so many, as evidenced by the volume of calls, emails and texts I’ve received over the last few days since her passing. 

We are so grateful for all that Sarah did for Jacobs Camp. Our community will carry her legacy with us always. As one of our former camp chairs said to me, her memory is our blessing. 

You can read her obituary here.

Love,

Anna

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