theShaft
Varsity Lurker
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....we will miss you.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/obits/stories/2008/01/08/keene_0109.html
Sara Keene, 21, danced at full speed
By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/09/08
Sara Keene danced through life with the charisma to win over any audience and the determination to get the most out of every role she played.
Ballerina, materials science and engineering student, graphic designer, sorority sister, daughter, Georgia Tech football fan — Ms. Keene threw herself into all those parts of her life so completely, others marveled at her determination and energy.
Johnny Crawford/AJC
Georgia Tech student Sara Keene displays a ball signed by the team. The Yellow Jackets wore bracelets in her honor while playing in last month's Humanitarian Bowl.
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"I had to sometimes tell her: 'Slow down. Take a deep breath,' " said her mother, Cookie Keene of Fayetteville.
But Sara Keene never slowed down for long, even when stricken with cancer. Ms. Keene's former dance teacher, Kathy Senger, said "she was up and out of bed and using her walker as a ballet barre to do her pliés" on Dec. 30.
Sara Catherine Keene, 21, of Fayetteville died four days later of complications from leukemia at Emory University Hospital. The body was cremated. The memorial service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at North Fayette United Methodist Church. Carl J. Mowell & Son funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Keene took tap dance classes as a 3-year-old and by age 7 began yearly appearances in "The Nutcracker," which became her favorite ballet. The highlight of her career came when she performed the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with the Peachtree City Civic Ballet during her senior year at Fayette County High School.
"When Sara danced on stage she just sparkled. You couldn't take your eyes off her," Mrs. Senger said. "She had a presence on stage that would light up the whole theater."
Ms. Keene participated in the Governor's Honors Program in dance and also took part in a summer program at Ballet Magnificat!, a Christian professional dance company in Jackson, Miss.
"It wasn't just all about the costumes and the recitals and the tiaras," her mother said. "It became a way for her to express herself and her faith."
Ms. Keene was rehearsing for a Greek Week role as the witch in "The Wizard of Oz" — she loved the green makeup — before her leukemia was diagnosed last spring.
A member of Alpha Chi Omega, she was elected secretary of the Panhellenic Council, the governing body of Georgia Tech's sororities. She was a loyal Yellow Jackets football fan who traveled to the 2006 out-of-town games with her boyfriend, Ben Hollerbach.
Last fall, strong safety Djay Jones reached out to her with a phone call and stayed in touch to offer his support. The team and other Tech students rallied around Ms. Keene with a charity cookout for the Shirlock Foundation, which helps the families of college students diagnosed with leukemia. Jones and the Yellow Jackets wore Shirlock Foundation bracelets in Ms. Keene's honor during the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 31 against Fresno State.
Ms. Keene edited her high school yearbook for two years and went on to do some graphic design work for Tech's Alumni Association.
She was always doing something interesting, usually well and with a smile. In middle school, she won a trip to Paris in an essay contest.
"She stuffed a lot of living into 21 years," said Sandi Bramblett, her fifth-grade Sunday school teacher and youth counselor.
Survivors other than her mother include her father, Richard Keene of Homerville; her stepmother, Rena Keene of Homerville; her grandmother, Joyce Keene Vandivere of Lakeland; and two stepsisters, Rosie Martinsen and Stacey Lutz.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Shirlock Foundation; Camp Glisson, a Methodist camp and retreat; and North Fayette United Methodist Church.
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/obits/stories/2008/01/08/keene_0109.html
Sara Keene, 21, danced at full speed
By MIKE KNOBLER
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Published on: 01/09/08
Sara Keene danced through life with the charisma to win over any audience and the determination to get the most out of every role she played.
Ballerina, materials science and engineering student, graphic designer, sorority sister, daughter, Georgia Tech football fan — Ms. Keene threw herself into all those parts of her life so completely, others marveled at her determination and energy.
Georgia Tech student Sara Keene displays a ball signed by the team. The Yellow Jackets wore bracelets in her honor while playing in last month's Humanitarian Bowl.
• Send condolences
"I had to sometimes tell her: 'Slow down. Take a deep breath,' " said her mother, Cookie Keene of Fayetteville.
But Sara Keene never slowed down for long, even when stricken with cancer. Ms. Keene's former dance teacher, Kathy Senger, said "she was up and out of bed and using her walker as a ballet barre to do her pliés" on Dec. 30.
Sara Catherine Keene, 21, of Fayetteville died four days later of complications from leukemia at Emory University Hospital. The body was cremated. The memorial service will be 2 p.m. Saturday at North Fayette United Methodist Church. Carl J. Mowell & Son funeral home is in charge of arrangements.
Ms. Keene took tap dance classes as a 3-year-old and by age 7 began yearly appearances in "The Nutcracker," which became her favorite ballet. The highlight of her career came when she performed the lead role of the Sugar Plum Fairy with the Peachtree City Civic Ballet during her senior year at Fayette County High School.
"When Sara danced on stage she just sparkled. You couldn't take your eyes off her," Mrs. Senger said. "She had a presence on stage that would light up the whole theater."
Ms. Keene participated in the Governor's Honors Program in dance and also took part in a summer program at Ballet Magnificat!, a Christian professional dance company in Jackson, Miss.
"It wasn't just all about the costumes and the recitals and the tiaras," her mother said. "It became a way for her to express herself and her faith."
Ms. Keene was rehearsing for a Greek Week role as the witch in "The Wizard of Oz" — she loved the green makeup — before her leukemia was diagnosed last spring.
A member of Alpha Chi Omega, she was elected secretary of the Panhellenic Council, the governing body of Georgia Tech's sororities. She was a loyal Yellow Jackets football fan who traveled to the 2006 out-of-town games with her boyfriend, Ben Hollerbach.
Last fall, strong safety Djay Jones reached out to her with a phone call and stayed in touch to offer his support. The team and other Tech students rallied around Ms. Keene with a charity cookout for the Shirlock Foundation, which helps the families of college students diagnosed with leukemia. Jones and the Yellow Jackets wore Shirlock Foundation bracelets in Ms. Keene's honor during the Humanitarian Bowl on Dec. 31 against Fresno State.
Ms. Keene edited her high school yearbook for two years and went on to do some graphic design work for Tech's Alumni Association.
She was always doing something interesting, usually well and with a smile. In middle school, she won a trip to Paris in an essay contest.
"She stuffed a lot of living into 21 years," said Sandi Bramblett, her fifth-grade Sunday school teacher and youth counselor.
Survivors other than her mother include her father, Richard Keene of Homerville; her stepmother, Rena Keene of Homerville; her grandmother, Joyce Keene Vandivere of Lakeland; and two stepsisters, Rosie Martinsen and Stacey Lutz.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Shirlock Foundation; Camp Glisson, a Methodist camp and retreat; and North Fayette United Methodist Church.
