Sarah Richards Obituary

SARAH ELIZABETH MARKS RICHARDS Sarah Marks Richards, who died peacefully on January 26, 2025, at Kahala Nui, was an accomplished and well-loved community leader. She was the dean of students at Chaminade University and then the executive director of Hawaii's State Foundation on Culture and the Arts. Under her tenure, the agency grew from $1 million to $10 million and achieved a national ranking for Hawaii as number one in per capita state support for the arts. She was also a founder and president of Hawaii Opera Theatre and led it to independence from its parent, The Honolulu Symphony. She also served for 25 years at the Hawaii Theatre, serving as its president and, later, executive director. She campaigned and raised $32 million in funds to restore the Theatre, which was named in 2005 as the Most Outstanding Historic Theater in America. In 2015, she was awarded the Hawaii Arts Alliance?s 2015 Alfred Preis Honor for her lifetime support of the arts and of arts education in Hawaii. Sarah was born in Sullivan, Indiana, on December 31, 1941, to parents Wm. Lawrence Marks and Dorothy Stratton Marks. She originally enrolled in a music conservatory after her graduation from high school, but transferred to DePauw University, a private liberal arts college in Indiana. She studied both English and music there. She spent a year traveling around Europe by car, lived with a friend in Spain, and taught English as a second language. When she came to Hawaii, she also taught swimming at Kamehameha, and lived with four lifelong friends, sharing a house in Manoa. Sarah met her husband, Manning, while she was head of HOT's Education Committee and Manning was singing in the chorus for a production of Verdi's Aida. She went to the cast party, and they were introduced in February of 1972 and married in December. Manning and Sarah loved to hike and travel together. Sarah is survived by Dr. G. Manning Richards, her beloved husband of over fifty years, and many nieces and nephews. Services for Sarah will be held on Saturday, March 1, 2025, at 9 AM in the Sanctuary of Central Union Church. In lieu of flowers, the family would be grateful if you direct your donations to the following organizations: The Hawaii Theatre, the Hawaii Opera Theatre, and the Mission Houses Museum. Arrangements Provided By: Oahu Mortuary