Sara Wattonville

Heaven gained another angel much too soon.  Sara Elizabeth Wattonville, 54, of Collins, passed away peacefully Monday afternoon, September 7, 2020 at Southridge Specialty Care in Marshalltown.  A funeral service will be held at 3:00 p.m. Saturday, September 12, 2020, at the Mitchell Family Funeral Home. A private family burial will be at the Graceland Cemetery, Laurel. Public visitation will be from 1:00 p.m. Saturday until service time. Sara’s family is requesting that all attendees please wear casual, bright attire if possible. Memorial contributions may be directed to her family for a future designation. For further information or to send the family a condolence, please visit www.mitchellfh.com or call 641-844-1234.  View the funeral service live stream: https://www.facebook.com/Mitchell-Family-Funeral-Home-99280714047/ Sara was born on March 30, 1966 in Grinnell, IA, the daughter of Harold and Jolene (Mairs) McIlrath. She grew up in Laurel and graduated from SEMCO High School in 1984, where she excelled in basketball, played softball and ran track. Following her passion, she went on to attend the Iowa School of Beauty and worked as a cosmetologist in Marshalltown from 1986 until 1994. Sara was united in a marriage that blessed her with three children, Riley, Saylor and Sofie. Sara’s personality was as vibrant as the bright colors she loved.  She went through a lot in her life, but never complained about any of it or herself.  Most of her interests were based around the love she had for her family, friends and creating experiences together.  Sara enjoyed camping and most recently, a family trip to Sanibel Island, FL.  She liked to go out to eat (her favorite was Olive Garden) and she especially adored shopping.  Sara loved ice cream, candy and always went straight to the candy shop at the mall.  Every year, Sara looked forward to attending the Iowa State Fair, especially for the sheep shows since she had raised and shown her own sheep when she was younger.  One of her passions was decorating her home, particularly for the holidays, with her absolute favorite being Christmas.  Sara enjoyed watching her children’s sporting events and she was an avid Iowa State Cyclone fan.  Left to cherish her memory is her son, Riley Wattonville (Christie Luppen); two daughters: Saylor Wattonville (Adam Silberstein) and Sofie Wattonville; her mother, Jolene McIlrath; her siblings: Shelly (Scott) Schmitz and Sam (Marci) McIlrath; her nieces and nephews: Cody Schmitz, MacKenzie (Nate) Tigges, Reagan McIlrath and Rayne McIlrath; her aunts: Ardith (Terry) Housman, Mary Connor and Pam Long; numerous cousins and many friends. In eternal life, Sara has been reunited with her father, Harold; her paternal grandparents: Hazen and Vera McIlrath; her maternal grandparents: Raymond and Dorothy Mairs; and her cousin, Tedd Long.