Sara Irene Tinant of the Lakeview area was born in Valentine, Nebraska on September 4,1956 to Bob and Geraldine (Hutchison) Tinant. She died on July 16, 2026 at the Cherry County Hospital.
Sara was the seventh of nine children in the Tinant household of five boys and four girls. She was baptized at the Lakeview Christian Reformed Church.
She grew up in the Lakeview area of South Dakota and attended grades first through eighth at the Lakeview Grade School. In 1974 she graduated from Todd County High School in Mission, SD. At that time girls sports weren’t the norm, so Sara played neighborhood sports including softball, basketball, and volleyball. She always had a very competitive spirit and some might even say she was NOT a good loser.
Sara lived a most interesting life in terms of travel and occupations. She built her own sod house west of the home place and growing up always enjoyed outside work more than inside. Through the years she worked on the ranch, a nursing home, milked cows, hauled silage, pumped gas at Todd’s Mobile Station, drove the mail truck and special education student bus, and was a Teacher’s Aid at both Todd County and Kilgore, NE. One year there wasn’t hay, so she sold the milk cow and went to Alaska for the summer and gutted fish.
Sara had her passport stamped in many countries. In fact, her first time of homesickness was when she accompanied Grandpa Charlie and Grandma Mabel to his homeland - the Netherlands. She decided if she got too homesick, she could always swim back.
She traveled to Ireland with the Kilgore junior/senior classes and to Chile on a church mission trip. She visited Mary in Prince Edward Island, Canada, and niece Kate in Hawaii. She, along with Mary and niece Billie, visited Brussels, Belgium. Sara also touched down in numerous states a little closer to home.
In earlier years, she would load up the neighborhood kids and take them fishing. Sara was known for the best “Trick or Treats” in the area and she was a master at popping popcorn and poppin’ ice cube trays. She loved reading, playing cards, crossword puzzles, “regifting,” and claimed she was the inventor of the “Rez Doorbell.” She also enjoyed playing weekly dice with her “girls.”
In 1990 Sara bought her little piece of paradise, the Joosten place, and called her house “the shack.” She loved the quiet country life and in her words, “was a decent .” She had fond memories of growing up with her eight siblings and a slew of good cousins.
Sara was a daughter, sister, cousin, auntie, great auntie, greatgreat auntie, and a friend to many.
Those who touch our lives, stay in our hearts forever.
Sara is survived by brothers, Butch (Janie), Duff (Kathy), Dan (Sheri); sisters, Mary (Tim) Kurtenbach, Ruth, Liz Matson; sisterin- law, Patty Tinant. Many cousins, nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews, great-great nieces and nephews, and a host of friends.
Preceding her in death, parents Bob and Geraldine Tinant; brothers Bil and Scot Tinant; grandparents, Charlie and Mabel Tinant, Lee and Isabel Hutchison; niece, Billie Tinant Murphy; nephew, Alex Tinant; great niece, Taryn Tinant; along with aunts, uncles, and cousins.
Sandoz Chapel of the Pines in Valentine is assisting with arrangements.
