Sarajayne Roberts Death

Annie was home from the dorms for the weekend for a family party, with classes starting on Monday. Early that afternoon we heard that her best friend, since both families moved onto the same street back before they started Preschool together, had been in an accident. We were worried, but couldn't imagine it was anything serious.

We couldn't have been more wrong.

Sj had been hit in the head in a freak windstorm, and her brain injury proved to be fatal. We were beyond heartbroken and devastated. Annie and their other best friend Izzy were invited to come to the hospital to come say our goodbyes to this sweet girl. It was the most heartbreaking and beautifully sad thing I've ever experienced as a mother, watching my little girl say good bye to her oldest friend in the entire world.

Sj would officially be declared dead the next day, and our world got smaller without this connection in Annie's life.



On August 19th, Annie posted the below text on Instagram, along with several of her favorite photos and videos of them together:

the last few days have been some of the hardest of my whole life. my best friend sj was involved in an accident and suffered fatal brain damage. saying goodbye to her was the hardest thing i’ve ever done. i met sj when we were only two and a half years old and she moved in down the street just a few months after my family had. we went to preschool together, learned how to ride our bikes together, put on plays in our backyards together, watched movies together, and played together almost every day.
i love sj so so much. she has blessed my life so much over the past 16 years. sj was always laughing. she had the ability to make everyone around her smile. she was so kind and caring and it will never be the same with her gone.
i’m gonna miss her a lot. i can never remember a time where sj wasn’t there for me and it’s going to be really hard without her here. i could tell her anything and we’d send each other videos about our days.
you never realize how much you love someone until you have to say goodbye for the last time.


Ellie wrote:
i never thought i would have to say goodbye to one of the people i love and that has been in my life for so long. sj was like an older sister to me and was always there since i was little. i love her so much and i have spent every minute since the accident remembering her and how she influenced my life. even when i was just annie’s little sister she was always there for me and let me come along to hang out with them. i will forever miss sj and the kindness she had for me and everyone around us. i love you so much sj 🤍


I wrote:
These two girls have been thick as thieves for as long as I can remember.

Sj, Annie’s earliest and oldest friend, suffered a fatal brain injury this weekend and the world lost one of its truly sweetest and kindest souls.

Watching my baby girl say goodbye to her best friend was indescribably tender and awful and beautiful.

My heart is aching for everyone who loves this sweet girl, and her wonderful family.

I will always believe more than half the reason we ended up moving in on this street 15 and a half years ago was so Annie and Ellie would have Sarajayne and Kate. These four girls mean the world to mean, and so many of my favorite memories of their childhoods are of their amazing foursome friendship.

Hold your people close and tell them you love them. Life is so fragile.


Sj's obituary was beautifully written and said:
Sarajayne Roberts, the most beloved girl, came into the world prematurely on August 3rd, 2006 and departed this life unexpectedly on August 18th, 2024. Sarajayne sustained an irrecoverable brain injury while on a family outing celebrating her mom's birthday. SJ is a ray of sunshine, a light to all, and radiates goodness. Her understated demeanor belies a spiritual and emotional maturity beyond her years. Sarajayne truly delights in family. She watches those close to her, knows their spirits, and loves them unconditionally. Most importantly, Sarajayne emanates the love of Jesus Christ.

Her family will miss her late-night talks, belting out songs in the car, surprise selfies on their phones, her expressive and goofy faces, scratching each others' backs, shedding tears together in her bed, her advice, her example of being comfortable with herself, being Kate's best friend, and hearing her oft-repeated question "what can I do to help?"

SJ is an accomplished pianist and an amazing artist. She loves photography, drawing, painting, and interior design. She ran track and proved that she can do hard things. In recent months, SJ made a concerted effort to improve herself and get out of her comfort zone. She had a life-changing humanitarian experience in Guatemala with her sister, Kate, where she gained a new work ethic, and fostered a sincere desire to serve a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, a mission that she's undoubtedly serving now.

Sarajayne blessed the life of everyone who met her and continues to edify many souls, even in death.