Sara Jacy Guffey was born in Arcata on July 30, 1992 to Derek & Sharon (Sherry) Guffey. Sara grew up in McKinleyville and during her childhood she spent countless hours with her grandparents and aunt, uncle and cousins. Her Grandma Dee Dee and Papa Tom operated an assisted living care home for the elderly, where Sara would spend many hours mingling and bonding with the elderly ladies. Later in life Sara would say that she believed this time spent with the ladies at the care home resulted in her love of working with the elderly. She also spent many hours with her Grandma Reen and Papa Dan. We didn’t know it at the time, but she inherited much of her sewing & crocheting talent from her Grandma Reen. Childhood time spent with Auntie Diane, Uncle Randy and older cousins Rye Rye and Kyle were filled with sports and goofing with the cousins who were made to “let her have it” or “let her win.”

In grade school Sara’s closest friends were Gopika La Barge and Beatrice Cafe. Sara attended McKinleyville High School, where she made two very close lifelong friends, Mathew Woodke and Laura Erhard. After graduating high school Sara lived out of state for less than a year, then returned to McKinleyville. Once she was back Sara reconnected with family then began working a few different jobs including in home care, then as a nurse’s aid in convalescent homes. Sara then enrolled in the LVN program at College of the Redwoods, earned her Associate Degree LVN, passed her state exam and worked at Seaview Rehabilitation as a LVN Charge Nurse.

In the spring of 2020 at the age of 28 Sara purchased a home in McKinleyville where she lived with her partner Ben and his son Azmedaeus. In September Sara gave birth to her daughter Tilly, which she named after her great-grandmother Matilda (Tilly) Andrada, whom she shared a very special bond with. Sara worked and continued her education, then enrolled in the RN bridge program at CR which she began in the spring of 2023.

Sara loved being with family and she and Tilly would often spend the day at her parents home in McKinleyville. In the fall of 2023 when her parents, Grandma Dee Dee and brother Cole moved to Arizona, Sara (and Tilly) would replace those visits with nearly daily phone calls & facetime chats. Sara also routinely called her aunt’s and would talk for hours at a time with them. Sara had planned to complete the nursing program, take her state exam followed by a trip to Arizona where she hoped to move. Sara was only two weeks short of completing her RN schooling, but all together earned the following degrees at College of the Redwoods; Liberal Art Degree in Science Exploration, Associate Degree LVN, Associate Degree LVN/Paramedic to RN Mobility.

Sara was a proud, loving and devoted mother and leaves behind her beautiful three-year daughter Tilly; her parents Derek & Sherry Guffey; brother Cole Guffey; grandmother Delores “Dee Dee” Page. She also leaves behind her Auntie Diane Baxter (Randy), aunt Alice Tully (William), cousin Ryan Baxter (Tessa), cousin Kyle Baxter (Chelsey), great-aunt Evelyn Page (Gary), great-aunt Patricia Holtgrewe (Kenneth), great-aunt Debra Andrada (Cliff Bell) as well as many 1st and 2nd cousins. She also leaves behind her partner Benjamin Hungness and his son Azmedaeus Hungness.

She was preceded in death by her great-grandma Matilda “Tilly” Andrada, great-grandfather Anthony Andrada, grandfather Thomas Page, grandmother Maureen Guffey and grandfather Carl Dan Guffey.

Sara we hope you are at peace and surrounded by those that preceded you and love you.

A Celebration of Life will be held for Sara at 2 p.m., June 8, 2024 at the Moose Lodge, 1791 Sutter Rd, McKinleyville, CA, 95519. If you can bring a potluck dish it will be appreciated, however your presence is what’s most valued.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Sara Guffey’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.