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 Carole Erker

(Buddy); her grandchildren, William Michael Rankin IV (Krystal), Katherine E. Loewens (Bob),

Alexander J. Rankin (Andrea), Matthew A. Cloud, Emily N. Kreikemeier (Matt), Shannon M.

Hargrove (Darren), Ian M. Cloud (Becky) 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 memorial service 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.