In Monrovia, Liberia, Sarah Que-yonnah Banto was born on July 3rd, 1970 to father David Banto and mother Esther Kranto. She spent her youth attending Charlotte Tolbert Memorial High School in Monrovia before moving to the US with her family in 1995.
Her marriage with Joseph White was filled with love, ambition, and fascination. Joseph often cites Sarah as his primary source of strength, a common refrain spoken amongst her loved ones. He remembers many aspects of Sarah’s wonderful character, her drive to improve her life being paramount.
Her intelligence and perseverance is reflected in the jobs she’s held throughout the years. After attaining her CNA certification at Parkland College, she spent some time working at the formerly known Carle Arbours. This was followed by her years-long stint at Clark-Lindsey Village Nursing Home, checking in on patients and coworkers alike. She then spent some time working at the US Post Office. She began as a temp worker and was subsequently offered a full-time position. This speaks as a testament to her hardworking spirit. May that hardworking spirit now find its rest in peace, power, and glory.
Sarah had big dreams, spawned by an even larger imagination. Her family remembers her passions for cooking, fashion, and entrepreneurship. She always wanted to improve, to better herself.
If you want to understand who Sarah was, you must understand that she was ambitious. She was lovingly headstrong. She strove and struggled every day to improve not only her own life, but the lives of the ones she loved. If it came down to hard work to get the job done, you could always count on Sarah to see it through. She held a deep desire to be a part of something bigger and better, refusing to take no for an answer. She instilled this ambition in each of her children, always pushing them to achieve their highest potential, recognizing their ability to accomplish their dreams. No star was too high to reach for Ernest, Patience, and Janjay’s mom. She made sure of that.
Sarah was a very creative person… but that goes without saying. Take one look at her outfit and you would know this instantly. She took great pride in her appearance: clothes, hair, makeup. If she had somewhere to go, she made sure she looked good.
And it paid off. Anytime she walked into a room, she caught your eye… if her fashion didn’t do it, then her dancing surely would. While everyone else was too tired (or too full, or too tipsy, or too…) to keep dancing, there you’d see Sarah dancing the night away.
Sarah is survived by husband Joseph White; daughters Patience Perkins and Lashaunce Gaines; sons Ernest Tarnue, Janjay Knowlden, and Corey Perkins; granddaughters Olivia and Issa Perkins; grandsons Nnamdi Perkins, Emmanuel Tarnue, David Tarnue, and Micah Tarnue; sisters Comfort, Sofia, Dekontee, and Janet Banto; brothers Harry and Richard Banto; and aunts Sarah and Elizabeth Kranto. She joins her eldest son Prince Banto and younger brother William Banto in glory.
Sarah is loved because she loved so hard. Her family is incredibly proud of her because she was proud of us all. And family, friends, and acquaintances must now be strong in her name. A legacy befitting a woman so strong for so long.
A Homegoing Celebration of Life will commence at 12:00 Noon Friday November 19, 2021 at Leek & Sons Funeral Home, 1215 W. Bradley Ave. Urbana. Visitation will begin at 11:00 am until the time of the service. Burial will follow at 1:30 at Lincoln Cemetery
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