Saralee K. Luke

Saralee Luke (nee Krow, formerly Sogg) was released from her battle with Alzheimer’s disease on May 5, 2026.

Sari, as she was known to her loved ones, was born to Herbert and Dorothy Krow on July 20, 1939 in McKeesport, a suburb of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She had a bright academic career from an early age, choosing to attend boarding school at Penn Hall in Chambersburg, PA while her parents traveled the globe. She graduated with a bachelor's degree from Wellesley College, where she majored in the study of religion.  Sari recalled her years at Penn Hall and Wellesley as some of the happiest of her life – she came into her own at these cherished alma maters, discovered the power of her keen mind, and made lifelong friendships.

Sari began her graduate studies in social work at Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts – a city that she loved passionately for the rest of her life. Upon her first marriage, to Wilton Sogg, she moved to Cleveland, Ohio and completed her Master’s degree in social work at Case Western Reserve University. Sari is survived by a daughter from her first marriage, Stephanie Sogg, who is living out her mother’s dream by making Boston her home for the past 30 years.

Sari held a position as a social worker at Mount Sinai Hospital in Cleveland for over a decade, serving the patients in the dialysis unit there. She was passionate about this work, and about helping others in general. In 1976, Sari met Randall Luke through the friendship of her daughter Stephanie with Randall’s daughter, Lisa. Sari and Randall fell in love, and in 1978, they married. They moved into their first shared home in the Moreland Courts, an ensemble of historic buildings that Sari often asserted was “the only place in Cleveland she would ever be willing to live.” Upon marrying Randall, Sari became a parent to his children, Lisa (Luke) Kennedy of Miamisburg, Ohio, and Sargent Luke of Asheville, North Carolina. Sari loved Lisa and Sargent as her own children and helped to raise them. She also adored her six grandchildren, who survive her: Danielle Kennedy Myers (husband Brett Myers) of Austin, TX; Gillian Kennedy of Miamisburg, OH; Marina Kennedy of Miamisburg, OH; Skye Loving (partner Clayton Leedy) of Asheville, NC; Oliana Mariel (partner Luke Krieghoff) of Seattle, WA; and Adelyn Luke (fiancé David Westwood) of Seattle, WA. She is also survived by her great-grandson, Beckham Myers.

In her mid-40’s, Sari returned to higher education. She received her JD in 1988 from Case Western Reserve University Law School, where she was proud to earn a place on the Law Review. Soon after law school graduation, Sari and Randall moved to Chicago, Illinois, where Sari worked for two years at the law firm of Sidley and Austin. Sari adored living in Chicago, where her home was close to that of her beloved sister, Patricia Fine, who predeceased Sari in 2021. Sari particularly loved Chicago’s beautiful architecture, noting often “the juxtaposition of the old with the new”, and was enamored with city living.

Prompted by change in Randall’s job, Sari and Randall moved back to Cleveland in the early 1990’s, and they again settled in the Moreland Courts apartments – this time in the Point Building. Sari created an elegant home in which she and Randall both remained until close to the ends of their lives.

Sari was a lovely, elegant woman who always conducted herself with poise, tact, and grace. She was reserved and private, but she prized her close relationships with family and friends, who had the privilege of experiencing her calm, thoughtful nature, her intellectual gifts, and her subtle sense of humor. She cared for her own mother and her former mother-in-law, Julia Sogg, in the latter years of their lives. As much as she cherished relationships with the human beings in her life, Sari was an ardent animal lover, and had a lifelong adoration for dogs in particular. In her 30’s, Sari volunteered with the Cleveland Animal Protective League. Throughout her life, she displayed a huge button on her faux fur overcoats with the message “Real people wear fake furs!”  Sari was also an enthusiastic eater, and never met a carbohydrate she did not like.  She conducted valiant midnight raids on the freezer, and her conquests of gallons of Breyer’s mint chocolate chip ice cream were legion and legendary.

Sari was a thoughtful and intelligent person, and for many years, involvement in her book club – in the company of similarly bright, insightful women – brought much joy to her life and kept her mind active. Sari also devoted her intellect and energy to a number of organizations for which she enthusiastically volunteered – including Apollo’s Fire, reflecting her enduring love of classical music. She was passionate about women’s rights and the rights of all people to have a voice in their government, donated generously to Planned Parenthood, and devoted an enormous amount of her time to her work with the Greater Cleveland League of Women Voters, pounding the pavement for years in efforts to help people from underrepresented communities become registered to vote. Or, as her husband jokingly called it, “rabble-rousing.”

Sari was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 74, a cruel fate for someone with such a brilliant mind. She was cared for at home by her loving and devoted husband, Randall, until entering the Wilensky Residences at Montefiore (now the Daughters of Miriam at King David). She received excellent care from the hardworking staff at King David until her death at age 86. Her husband, Randall, predeceased her in September 2025.

A Celebration of Life will be held from 5-8pm on Saturday, July 25 at the Cleveland Skating Club, 2500 Kemper Rd, Shaker Heights, OH. Please RSVP at the service link at the top of the page.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Sari’s name to one of the following organizations to which Sari was deeply committed:

 Cleveland Animal Protective League

 Apollo's Fire

 Planned Parenthood

 Greater Cleveland League of Women Voters