WILLEN, Sarah (Haber) Willen, 92, of Maryland, formerly of West Hartford, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt and friend died Thursday, April 3, 2008, after a long illness. Sarah was born in New York City, the daughter of the late Rose and Samuel Haber. She was predeceased by her three brothers and sister, Isadore Haber, Fannie Schoolnick, Benjamin Haber and David Haber. The family moved to Hartford in 1923, and eventually owned and operated a number of bakeries, including the Haber Sanitary Bakery on Main Street. Sarah graduated from Hartford High School in 1935, and she married Abraham A. Willen on Nov. 5, 1939. He died in 1999, just a few months short of their 60th anniversary. Sarah and her siblings all married and raised families in the Hartford area. Sarah helped out in the family bakeries and after her children were grown, went to work at Connecticut General Life Insurance Co. and later for area banks. She was a lifelong member of the Teferes Israel Synagogue, which her father helped found, and later of the Beth David Synagogue in West Hartford. She was an active volunteer with Na’amat, serving many terms as president of the Hartford chapter. In 2007, she moved to Rockville, MD, to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She is survived by her three children and their spouses, Diane Willen and James Roby of Catonsville, MD, Mark and Janet Willen of Silver Spring, MD, Debra Willen and Lawrence Fullerton of Fairfax, VA; by her three grandchildren, Andrea Fullerton, Stacy Fullerton, and Joanne Roby; and by Joanne’s husband, Jeffrey Kong. Services will be held on Sunday, April 6, 2008 at 10:30 am in the Chapel of the Weinstein Mortuary, 640 Farmington Ave., Hartford, CT 06105 with Rabbi Yitzchok Adler officiating. Interment will follow in the Teferes Israel Synagogue Cemetery, West Hartford. Memorial contributions can be made to Na’amat USA, 350 Fifth Avenue, Suite 4700, New York, NY 10118. For further information, directions, or to share memories of Sarah with her family, please visit online at www.weinsteinmortuary.com.
