Sarah Michelle Burris, age 29, passed away Thursday, October 14, 2021, after a long
battle with addiction.
Born August 13, 1992, in London, she was the cherished daughter of Rhonda (Adkins)
and Michael Burris.
Sarah was an amazing person with the biggest heart and most beautiful smile. She
could light up any room with her energy and crazy sense of humor. Sarah was
adventurous and free-spirited. She was a member of the track and cross-country teams,
the London High School marching band where she was the Field Commander. Sarah
loved to draw, crochet, listen to music and twirl her baton. Sarah loved her family
deeply, wanted to adopt every animal she saw, and would do anything for anyone.
For many years Sarah fought a heroic battle with addiction. She had been in recovery
for 4 months but the addiction had such a powerful hold on her and ended her life way
too soon. She successfully completed drug rehab several times but the fierce battle
was more than she could overcome. Hers/ours was a 13-year struggle. Many loved
ones did everything they could do to get her to stop, but addiction won the battle. She
fought like a warrior every step of the way.
To the people who do not understand addiction she is just another statistic that chose to
make a bad decision; a very uneducated statement but I know it is what will be said
along with other hurtful statements. We do not care though. For those of you who do
understand, this is our baby, our first-born child, our daughter, our first real true love.
She was a sister, a mother, a niece, a granddaughter, a friend, a cousin, a human being
with an addiction. She turned to drugs to make her feel normal like everyone else. We
wished she had recognized the beauty and strength that everyone else saw in her.
It is not true that everything happens for a reason. The reality of Sarah’s death is
beyond devastating. There is no possible reason to justify the loss of this beautiful
young woman who had so much to give to the world. Sarah’s struggle has ended. She
has finally found the peace she was so desperately searching for here on earth. The
day Sarah died a part of us died with her. We will miss her every day for the rest of our
lives. Our lives will never be the same, but we will always cherish the memories and
time we spent together.
Sarah is survived by her Mother Rhonda (Adkins) Burris, Father Michael Burris, sister
Kristin Burris, daughter Gianna Burris and Grandfather James Delong; many aunts and
uncles, cousins, and friends.
She was preceded in death by grandparents Kenneth and Patricia (Fife) Adkins,
Grandmother Linda (Hoover)Burris Delong, Aunt Theresa Adkins, Cousins Tara Burris,
Robert “Rob” Petee and Nathaniel “Dean” Huffman.
The family invites friends to call at the Lynch Family Funeral Home & Cremation Service, 124 E. High St, London, Friday, October 22, 2021, from 11;00 AM to 1:00 PM, with a funeral service, officiated by Ty Artist to follow. An interment service will follow at the Paint Township Cemetery, London.
To make a donation to assist with funeral expenses please select the donation tab at the top of the page.
Online condolences may be sent to www.lynchfamilyfuneralhome.com.