Obituary

On Thursday, September 17, 2020, Lois Anne “Sanne” McCarthy took her final bow, exited stage left, and went home to be with the Lord.  She was 77 years old.

Act I: Sanne was born on January 3, 1943 in San Francisco, CA to Milton and Mary (Lewis) Vaughn.  She spent her childhood in Merced in the San Joaquin Valley, but completed her final years of high school in San Francisco when her family moved back to live.  Following high school, Sanne spent a decade pursuing her love of theatre.  She performed in college productions at San Francisco State and branched out into summer stock and repertory theatre  as well as performing with a touring company in Europe.  After returning to the states, she worked and lived in community with the Gestalt Fool Theatre Family where she met and made lifelong friends and memories.

Act II: In 1973, Sanne and her partner, Tom McCarthy, moved to the Denver area.  They married and started a family.  Sanne also met the Lord, the love of her life.  During her child-raising years, Sanne’s artistic ventures revolved around God and her family.  For a time, she and Tom had a family ministry involving music, skits, and puppet shows.  She directed the children’s choir at her church and staged several musicals involving children and youth from the church.  Sanne also began to write.  She wrote articles for a few small women’s magazines and penned a booklet called Proverbs for Working Mothers.

Act III: Following Sanne’s divorce, she returned to school to earn a B.A. and an M.H.  She also completed the coursework for a doctorate in Theatre.  This preparation led to an opportunity that turned into her dream job.  Sanne was hired as the head of the theatre department at Colorado Christian University where she was able to marry her love for God and her love for theatre.  During her nearly 22 years in this position, Sanne inspired and encouraged the students she taught and mentored as they explored what it meant to be a Christian and an artist.  Her thoughts on this topic became the foundation for her book, Master Class: Pursuing Christ Through Performing Arts.

Sanne was amazed and delighted by the life she lived.  She no doubt feels the same about her next adventure.  Sanne was preceded in death by her father, Milt, her mother, Mary, and her brother, Peter.  She is survived by her sister, Joan; her children, Sasha, Colin, and Ryan; her grandchildren, Elijah, Gideon, Josiah, Asher, Ruth; her nephews, Ken, Keith, Holden, Peter; and her niece, Karen.

A celebration of Sanne’s life will be held on November 8, 2020 at 3:00 in the afternoon. To join us, click on Attend the Celebration in the menu.