Sara Chase

Sara H. Chase Sara "Sally" Homburg Chase passed away peacefully on Tuesday, May 27, 2025, at the Northcrest Community Retirement Home in Healthcare. She was born in Nashville, Illinois on October 23, 1936, to Harry and Jean (Walker) Homburg. She grew up in Nashville, Illinois and graduated from Nashville Community High School in 1954. Sara then attended Illinois Wesleyan College and graduated with a degree in elementary education. Sara began her teaching career in Denver, Colorado, teaching first grade, and returning in the summers to work on her Masters of Education Degree at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. There, she met Gerald "Jerry" Chase and they married on January 28, 1962. Sara and Jerry traveled and lived in several places, beginning with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and moving around the United States as well as Quito, Ecuador in South America, while Jerry served in the U.S. Army. After Jerry retired from the military, they settled in Ames, Iowa, where they continued to raise their two children, Jessica Jane and Elizabeth Chase Vivas. Once the children entered junior high school, Sally began working for the Ames Public Schools, first as a t...[more]

View Full Online Obituary and Tributes

hing aide, and later as a reading support teacher. She also worked for several years in the Youth and Shelter Services Classroom, and later tutored younger students privately. Sally was an active member of the UCC Congregational Church in Ames, and was committed to volunteering and supporting numerous organizations in Ames, including Meals-on-Wheels, Habitat for Humanity and the Bridge Home, formerly known as the Emergency Residence Shelter. Sara also enjoyed participating in the PEO as well as book groups with friends. Sally Chase is survived by her two children, Jessica Jane of Ames, and Elizabeth Chase Vivas and her son-in-law Gerardo Vivas, of Oak Park, Illinois, as well as her nieces and nephew, and grandchildren, Gilbert, Sarah and Carlo, who loved her very much. She was preceded in death by her husband, Gerald (Jerry) Chase, and her sister SaMary (Polly) Lekkas. A memorial service will take place at the UCC Congregational Church on Friday, June 20, 2025, at 1:00 pm. Memorials may be made in remembrance of Sara to either the Boys and Girls Clubs of Story County, Iowa, or to the Bridge Home in Ames, Iowa.