Sara Elizabeth Cartwright Boobar

Sara Elizabeth Cartwright Boobar of Austin, Texas passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026, in Bertram, Texas, with her grandson Ryan Callahan by her side. Born on October 16, 1939, in a rural farmhouse in Becker, Minnesota, Sara was the fourth of six children of Grover and Armanella Cartwright. She grew up on the family farm, attending a one-room schoolhouse, before moving to Detroit Lakes for high school, where she excelled in her studies and was named to the Homecoming Court. It was during her sophomore year that she met the love of her life, John Boobar, at a roller-skating rink in Hawley, Minnesota. They married in February 1959.

In 1961, Sara and John left Minnesota’s cold winters for Texas, first settling in San Antonio, where they raised their daughter Denise and sons Jeffrey and Daniel. The family moved to Austin in 1974. Sara devoted herself to her family as a homemaker while assisting John in his sales business for Stroll-O-Chair Baby Furniture and Baby Tenda Corporation. As her children grew, she embraced temporary work in bookkeeping, real estate, and office management. In 1982, she played a key role in the early days of Bookstop, helping Gary Hoover launch what would become the fourth-largest bookselling chain in the United States before its acquisition by Barnes & Noble. She later worked for the Texas Railroad Commission, retiring after ten years of service.

Sara’s passions included bowling, where she was a longtime member of a champion league, traveling across the country and to Europe with John, and above all, reading. She shared her deep love of books with her children and grandchildren, often reading thirty books every two weeks and eagerly awaiting the Lake Travis Community Library Bookmobile. She cherished her time with her grandchildren and took great pride in welcoming great-grandchildren into her life.

Sara was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, John Oscar Boobar, her son Jeffrey Boobar, her parents, brothers John and David Cartwright, and sisters Mary Hanebuth and Susan Cartwright. She is survived by her sister Hazel Lanctot of San Antonio, daughter Denise Callahan and husband Mike of Bertram, son Daniel Boobar of Austin, five grandchildren, several great-grandchildren, a great-great-grandson, and many nieces and nephews. Her family will hold a private service, and she will be laid to rest beside John in Minnesota, where their life together began.