Sarah Virginia Raisbeck

Sarah "Sally" Raisbeck of Santa Fe, NM passed away Saturday January 2nd, 2021 at the age of 90. Sally was born to Charles Raisbeck and Virginia (Paul) Raisbeck in East Moline, IL, January 3rd, 1930.

An avid student, Sally attended the University of Chicago and Stanford University. At Stanford she met Arthur Hornig, whom she married in 1949 (they divorced in 1979); they had three sons. After graduating with a degree in mathematics, Sally helped develop early computing capabilities at the Stanford Research Institute. In 1961 Sally moved to Massachusetts and, after a pause while her children were young, joined MIT’s Lincoln Laboratory to continue her work in computer science. In 1982 Sally took an assignment in Hawaii, working on laser communication applications involving the Haleakala Observatory on Maui. After the end of the assignment Sally took early retirement to stay on Maui, where she lived for 34 years before moving to Santa Fe in 2016. Sally had lifelong passions for music, politics, and travel. She favored choral music and sang with church choirs in Menlo Park, CA; Lexington, MA; Boston, MA; Kula, HI; and Santa Fe, NM, as well as other local ensembles (and the Boston Symphony Orchestra). In her political life she was a notorious writer of letters to the editor and was arrested protesting with pro-choice groups and the Vietnam Veterans Against the War. In retirement her adventures included trips to Everest base camp, Antarctica, and Bhutan.

Sally is survived by her sons Charles Hornig and wife Ingrid Klimoff, Tim Hornig and wife Christina, John Hornig and wife Deborah; grandchildren Sarah Klimoff and husband Zach Griffiths, Edward Hornig, and Emma Hornig; great-grandchildren Charles, Helena, and Ida Griffiths; and sister and longtime companion Sanchia (Raisbeck) Foiles. She was predeceased by her brother, Wesley Raisbeck. A memorial service will be arranged when conditions permit travel. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made to the Fleming Arboretum on Maui at http://flemingarboretum.org/ to aid the effort to preserve endangered native vegetation, including Sally’s beloved alani tree.

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