Sarah Taylor Eden was born in 1964 to Anne Thorlakson Taylor and Donald G. Taylor in Seattle, WA. She grew up in the Queen Anne and Laurelhurst neighborhoods with her parents and 3 siblings. She was strong-willed and independent from the start.
Sarah excelled academically and was an accomplished athlete from her elementary school years on. For high school, she attended Lakeside School where she played soccer and basketball. She also played football for one season as a tight end on the boys’ team which made local and national newspapers. As a high school senior, Sarah had enough credits to begin classes at the University of Washington. She later graduated from City University with a degree in business. Sarah worked in her parents’ businesses for several years before starting a career in real estate.
She married her first husband, Burt Cornwall, in 1985 and they had their first child, Reid, in 1992 followed by Alison in 1995. Her children were the light of her life.
When her first marriage ended, she moved with her children to Vashon Island in 1997. Vashon was a special place for Sarah where she had spent summers growing up at her family’s waterfront log cabin with its panoramic view of Mt. Rainier.
Living on Vashon, she continued her career as a real estate agent and purchased a number of rental properties on the island. While raising her two children, she was always involved in coaching soccer and basketball from their first grade through high school years. Always busy with a new project, Sarah was first in line to help wherever she was needed. Sarah was a passionate, generous friend and had a zest for life.
Sarah married her second husband, Chris Eden, in 1997. Chris lived in Calgary, Alberta. They continued a long-distance relationship traveling back and forth until Sarah and the children moved full-time to Calgary in 2005. Sarah made many close friends in Calgary and stepped away from her real estate career to focus on her family. She loved having her children and their friends over to the bustling, busy house.
In 2014, Sarah and Chris separated, and she moved back to Vashon. Over a period of years, she had come to own the family cabin and was proud to call it home the last ten years of her life. She continued to manage her rental properties on the island. At the age of 50, she discovered a love for rowing and made many close friends as an active member of the Vashon Island Rowing Club.
After Sarah met her partner, Jim Faverau, they would split their year between summers in Kenora, Ontario and winters on Vashon, Washington.
Last year, after feeling very low energy since mid-November, Sarah flew to Calgary to see her doctor, thinking she probably just needed some medication adjusted. In increasing pain, she was admitted to the hospital where she spent three weeks before receiving a diagnosis of anaplastic pancreatic cancer, a rare aggressive form. With no hope of speedy treatment in Calgary, she returned to her Vashon home. The next day, she was admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center where her increasing pain was eventually stabilized and she received a round of chemotherapy. She was grateful then to have two good weeks at the cabin with Jim, Alison, and friends who stopped by. She was in her happy place and safe haven. When it was clear that chemotherapy was not stopping the rapid spread of the cancer, Sarah was admitted to UWMC for the last week of her life. Her family was an immense support, taking turns sleeping at the hospital, and ensuring someone was always with her. During her final hours on January 25th, 2024, she was surrounded with the love of her children, friends and family. Before she passed, she said she was at peace and that she had no regrets. She felt so blessed to have had such a full life, filled with love, and she felt everyone’s good wishes and appreciated them all.
Sarah was supportive, kind, hilarious, and witty and we will all miss her dearly. Sarah was a do-er. If you wanted something done, everyone knew Sarah would help take care of it! Especially if it involved a trip to Costco! She was a loving mother and friend. Most will fondly remember Sarah for her beautifully powerful energy and her loyal friendship. She will be missed by her many friends and family in both the US (especially Vashon Island and the Puget Sound area) and Canada (especially Calgary, AB and Kenora, ON).
Sarah is survived by her son Reid Cornwall (Rebecca) and their son Koen, her daughter Alison Cornwall (Kristopher Garin), and her partner James Favreau. She is also survived by her first husband, Burton Cornwall, III; her second husband, Christopher Eden; and her stepson, Brendan Eden.