‘Unsung hero.’ Past Tri-Citian of the Year and longtime children’s doctor has died

A longtime Tri-Cities pediatrician, who led a “remarkably generous” life, has died.

Dr. Sara Zirkle was 82. She had been undergoing treatment for cancer for three years.

“She cared for countless children who are today parents, and perhaps grandparents,” said Jim Hall, chief philanthropy officer at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland, where Zirkle served on the board for 12 years.

“Her impact was most profoundly felt among the community’s vulnerable children, lending her expertise and compassion to families in critical need,” Hall said.

She is a former Tri-Citian of the Year, honored with her husband, Dr. Lewis Zirkle, in 2004, for her advocacy for children’s and family issues.

Two years earlier the Benton and Franklin county prosecutors and law enforcement officer banded together to surprise her with a Distinguished Service Award for her sensitive and caring work with children who may have been sexually abused.

Her specialty was developmental pediatrics, and she spent more than 25 years working with law enforcement and the court system, becoming the Tri-Cities’ leading doctor in examining children who may been sexually abused and then testifying on their behalf in court cases.

She had a reputation for being compassionate and sensitive with children who ranged from 18 months to 18 years and was well respected for her observations, said Benton County Prosecutor Andy Miller when she was honored in 2002.

He called her an unsung hero.

At the time she had worked on possible sexual assault cases with hundreds, possibly 1,000, children and had started the Child Sexual Assault Clinic at Kadlec, the region’s first sexual assault clinic, where she did exams until about 2009.

She called it just part of her job as a developmental pediatrician.

“I really don’t think I’ve done anything out of the ordinary,” she said in 2002.

She was instrumental in starting the Mid-Columbia Reading Foundation and also was a past board member of the Tri-Cities Chapter of Women Helping Women.

What children need

Her family wrote in her obituary that she “was not only exceptionally smart, she was expansively kind,” both of which were evident in her pediatric practice.

She said in a column printed in the Herald that three things were essential to raise happy and healthy kids: “Parents need awareness of what matters, the motivation to do what is best for their child, and the skills and abilities to make a difference.”

She was one of only about eight women to be named a Tri-Citian of the Year since the award was created in 1962 to honor those who exemplied the best in community service, leadership and selfless acts in the community.

It was the Tri-Cities Herald editorial board that noted the “remarkably generous” lives that both she and her husband lived when they were named Tri-Citians of the Year.

They were true partners in life, her family wrote in her obituary, and “her lifelong devotion to Lewis provided him the support he needed to dedicate time and energy to SIGN Fracture Care International.”

The nonprofit in Richland provides education to surgeons in developing countries to use implants to treat broken bones, preventing poor people from becoming permanently disabled. The equipment and supplies are manufactured in Richland and donated.

“Dr. Sara impacted the lives of so many families during her career in medicine,” Hall said. “She served her community in so many ways, a respected leader and devoted partner of Dr. Lew.”

The Zirkles raised three daughters, Elizabeth, Molly and Julie and have nine grandchildren.

Services were set for Wednesday afternoon in Richland.

This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 12:34 PM.