Sarah Ann Conn (Sanford) died peacefully on Feb. 21, 2026, at the age of 83, after a courageous journey with Alzheimer’s disease.
Born on Feb. 12, 1943, in Boston, the first of seven children to Ann and Fillmore H. Sanford, Sarah was known as “Sally” in her childhood years, and was known as Sarah later in life. Her family moved around the country, living in many different places throughout her childhood, before settling in Austin, Texas, where she spent her teenage years and graduated from Austin High School in 1961. She grew into a woman whose life was guided by deep curiosity, compassion, and a quiet but powerful spiritual presence. She earned her bachelor’s degree at Smith College in 1966 and her doctorate in clinical psychology from Harvard University in 1971 where she met the love of her life, the late Lane Knight Conn, Jr., Ph.D.
She and Lane shared an extraordinary marriage and intellectual partnership. Together they helped pioneer the field of ecopsychology, exploring the deep interconnection between human well-being and the living earth. Their work included teaching courses at Harvard Medical School and the Boston Architectural College and collaborating with colleagues through the Ecopsychology Institute and the Center for Psychology and Social Change in Cambridge, where Sarah contributed to conversations and writing that helped bring ecological awareness into the fields of psychology, spirituality, and social change. Alongside this work, Sarah maintained a private psychotherapy practice in Newton for more than 40 years, where she worked closely with individuals and families over the course of their lives.
Sarah was a loving mother to Rachel and Leah, and a beloved mother-in-law to Erik Schlenker-Goodrich and Doug Levine. She took profound joy in her daughters, grandchildren Silas, Elliot, Ellie, and Annie, and the wide circles of family and friends who became part of her extended community. Sarah also leaves behind her sister Margie and her brother Tom. She was preceded in death by her husband Lane, and her siblings, Mary, John, David, and Rob. In recent years she lived at the Residences at Paine Estate in Wayland, where she enjoyed her apartment, nearby walking paths, and the care of those around her.
She will be remembered for her steadfast belief in the power of community to nourish and create meaningful change. Over her life, she devoted her time and energy to numerous professional and community organizations, including Beyond War, the First Unitarian Society of Newton, and Grandmothers Out Front for Climate Change, among others, always working to build a more connected, peaceful, and sustainable world.
Sarah lived her later years by the simple but profound motto: “present moment, only moment.”
Those who knew her experienced this not just as words but as a way she moved through the world — with attentiveness, warmth, and an openness to life as it unfolded.
A memorial service is being planned for later this year when family and friends can gather together. Details will be shared when available.
Her daughters invite those who wish to honor Sarah’s memory to do so by spending time in nature, sharing poetry, or simply pausing to be fully present in the moment — just as she taught by example.
To leave a remembrance in her online guest book, go to tinyurl.com/conn-obit.
