In Loving Memory of Sara Ann Cloud

Sara Ann Cloud, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend, passed away on June 14 in the comfort of her Chesterfield home, surrounded by family. She was 95. She lived a life saturated with the love of family and friends, and with the joy she found in golf, travel, baseball, classical music, books and the arts. She never stopped nurturing her intellectual curiosity.

She was born to John Walter and Alva Lillian (Morales) Hartnett on June 1, 1931, in Kansas City, Mo., and spent her childhood there with her seven siblings. There, she attended Blessed Sacrament Grade School and Lillis High School. Sara married John V. Cloud at the age of 20 on December 26, 1951. They moved to El Paso, Texas, where John played baseball for the U.S. Army before being sent to Korea. While in Texas they had their first daughter, Carol. They returned to Kansas City and had three more children, Dan, Mike and Lilli. John was transferred by his company and the family moved to Omaha in 1968, and to St. Louis in 1972, where they settled and planted deep roots.

Sara’s primary career was as an executive secretary for various organizations, including 7UP in brand management, the Ladue School District and Monsanto. Later she sold corporate travel and was an independent beauty consultant for Mary Kay. She also put her stellar organizational skills to use in support of John’s post-baseball career selling major appliances to home builders — by entertaining customers with John, including several international trips to China, Hong Kong, Italy, Mexico and Jamaica.

Sara was a member of the Ladies Golf League in Creve Coeur for numerous years and, while working at 7UP in the 1970s, broke the gender barrier for company golf outings. She was the only woman who followed up on the all-employee invitation to participate in the annual golf outing. Rather than sit out the tournament, as was suggested to her, she convinced another woman to play with her that year, recruited more women to sign up the following year, and from then on it really was an all-employee golf tournament.

She and John always prioritized travel, taking the family throughout North America on two-week vacations every year. In retirement, they traveled around the United States playing golf. Sara valued arts and culture, regularly enjoying the St. Louis Symphony, the Muny, and the city’s museums. She was also a lifelong baseball fan and watched every Cardinal baseball game she could get on TV, up into her last week of life. Sara and John were active in St. Monica Catholic Church, where Sara helped organize funeral lunches. They were also members of Incarnate Word and St. John Bosco at various times. In retirement, they participated in community activities with the Edward Jones YMCA.

Sara moved to Chesterfield Villas Retirement Community in 2019 after John passed, and cherished the friends she made there. She founded and led a book club for seven years, and also explored a new creative outlet by writing and submitting stories and essays to the community magazine.

Sara is survived by her children, Carol Anne Rankin, Michael Joseph Cloud and Lillian Marie Cloud; her son-in-law, William Michael Rankin III; her daughter-in-law, Pamela Carol (Buddy) Erker; her grandchildren, William Michael (Krystal) Rankin IV, Katherine E. (Bob) Loewens, Alexander J. (Andrea) Rankin , Matthew A. Cloud, Emily N. (Matt) Kreikemeier, Shannon M. (Darren) Hargrove, Ian M. (Becky) Cloud, and Kari A. Cloud; her great-grandchildren, Ava and Jay Loewens; Mila Rankin; Mason, Oliver, Sam and Ella Kreikemeier; Finn and Indie Cloud; and two step-great-grandchildren, Alec Hargrove and Allie Anaya. She was preceded in death by her husband, John V. Cloud; her son, John Daniel Cloud; and one grandchild, Jessica Danelle Cloud.

A funeral mass to celebrate Sara’s life will be held June 27, 11:30 a.m., at Ascension Catholic Church, 30 Santa Maria Dr., Chesterfield, Mo., 63005. A reception will follow at Chesterfield Villas Retirement Community, 14901 N. Outer 40 Rd, Chesterfield, MO, 63017. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to organizations that Sara supported: Places for People and St. Louis Area Foodbank.