Sarah Kirkpatrick of Charleston, South Carolina, formerly of Quitman, Arkansas, passed away peacefully on September 7, 2026, leaving behind a life filled with love, loyalty, laughter, and countless memories that will continue to live on in the hearts of those fortunate enough to have known her.

Sarah was an Arkansas girl at heart. She carried the warmth, spirit, and down-to-earth nature of her upbringing with her wherever life took her. Arkansas would always be home in a way that only your roots can be, but after moving to Charleston, Sarah came to love the Lowcountry deeply—the beauty, the history, the nature, and the life she built there.

Sarah was beautiful, both inside and out, but those who knew her best will remember her heart most of all. She was fiercely loyal and loved her family and friends with a depth that was impossible to miss. When Sarah loved you, she loved you completely. She was the friend who stayed. The friend who stood beside you in the good times, sat beside you in the hard ones, and could usually find some way to make you laugh somewhere in between.

And Sarah loved to laugh.

She was perfectly content with life's simple pleasures: curled up on the sofa, a glass of wine nearby, one—or quite possibly several—dogs snuggled beside her, and a Taylor Swift song playing loudly enough for Sarah to scream-sing every word. Whether or not she was technically in the correct key was beside the point. Sarah sang with commitment.

She had an enormous heart and so much love to give. Even during some of the hardest chapters of her life, she somehow managed to find moments of humor, joy, and connection. Sarah was stronger than she often gave herself credit for, and nowhere was that strength or love more evident than in the way she loved her son, Clarkson.

Clarkson was the center of Sarah's world.

Some of their happiest moments together weren't grand occasions or elaborate adventures. They were the ordinary ones: spending time with family in Arkansas, sitting together on the sofa, watching Jeopardy!, laughing, talking, and simply being together. Those ordinary moments are now extraordinary memories—the kind that become more precious with time and that Clarkson, their family, and everyone who loved Sarah will carry with them forever.

Sarah even coined a name for the community of people surrounding her son: the “Clarkson Train.”

What began simply with a mother's fierce love for her child grew into something remarkable—a network of family and friends stretching across the country, all connected by their love for Clarkson and their desire to see him happy, supported, and surrounded by people who care for him. Sarah built that train one relationship at a time. It is still moving, still growing, and still carrying the love she started it with.

Of all the things Sarah accomplished in her life, the Clarkson Train may very well be her greatest legacy.

Sarah moved to Charleston in 2012, driven above all else by her devotion to her family and her desire to co-parent with Clarkson's father, Adam Tournear, so that together they could give their son the best life possible.

Charleston also gave Sarah the opportunity to spend time doing something else she loved—being surrounded by nature and animals. One of her favorite jobs was working at Magnolia Plantation, where she could walk the beautiful grounds, enjoy the outdoors, and, perhaps most importantly to Sarah, pet the animals. It was about as close to an ideal workplace as she could have asked for.

To say Sarah loved animals would be something of an understatement.

There were, in fact, occasions when she seemed to prefer their company to that of humans—and, knowing Sarah, she probably had a perfectly good reason.

She fostered dogs with the intention of helping them find their forever homes. The problem was that Sarah had a notoriously difficult time remembering that the “forever home” wasn't necessarily supposed to be hers. She became what the rescue world lovingly calls a foster failure—repeatedly—which is how Hank, Ollie, Pie, and Jax became part of her family.

Sarah shared her life with many beloved animals over the years, each of whom was loved completely and unapologetically spoiled. It is comforting to imagine that many of them were waiting for her, tails wagging, when she arrived on the other side.

She was preceded in death by her beloved dogs Jackson, Gretchen, Ollie, Quinn, and Harley, and her horse, Clue.

Sarah is survived by her beloved son, Clarkson Tournear; her parents, John and Rachelle Kirkpatrick; her brother, Chuck; her niece, Tori; her nephew, Trenton; and an extraordinary collection of family, friends, animals, and members of the Clarkson Train whose lives are better because Sarah was part of them.

Sarah's life was not measured simply by the years she was here, but by the people she loved, the friendships she protected, the animals she rescued, the laughter she created, and most of all, the son she adored.

She leaves behind an enormous absence—but she also leaves behind an enormous amount of love.

And somewhere, we like to think Sarah is sitting comfortably, surrounded by every animal she ever loved, a glass of wine within reach, Taylor Swift playing far too loudly, and singing along at the top of her lungs.