Sara Dolores Haber (née Malda)

Her energy and delightful sense of humor is what distinguished her from others. You could hear her hearty laugh from the other room or down the hallway, and it would make you smile. Sara Dolores Haber (née Malda) was born to a humble household in the Caribbean tropics of Cueto, Holguin, Cuba on May 20, 1933. It was a difficult time during the Great Depression and her father, Saturnino Malda and her mother, Dolores Reyes, put the whole family to work. From a young age, Sara and her younger sister, Miriam, would embroider pillowcases to sell. As a child, Sara enjoyed playing baseball with her best friend Chela, and she greatly enjoyed her schoolwork. She graduated from the teachers’ college in Santiago de Cuba as a Spanish teacher. 

Sara married David Haber in 1954, and they raised their children in Cuba before having to flee communism as refugees. They settled in Plymouth, Indiana in 1967, during the turbulent civil rights era, and many in the small farm town wrapped their best hopes and intentions around the Haber family. Sara had always appreciated getting help from neighbors and felt blessed offering help to others, so after raising her children, she reinstated her degree at Indiana University – South Bend. She took her positive energy and invested it in her work, which ranged from teaching to founding El Buen Vecino, The Good Neighbor, in 1984. The good educational and social deeds accomplished by Sara and volunteers from University of Notre Dame were recognized by the George H. W. Bush Thousand Points of Light organization and United Way of St. Joseph County. Her leadership was recognized by several awards, including the City of South Bend Community Service Award, and she was named Woman of the Year by the South Bend YWCA. Sara retired in Indianapolis, where she subsequently died from natural causes. From her community activism to her family, now spread across the United States and Cuba, Sara will be greatly missed. 

Sara was predeceased by both parents, three siblings – Adolis, Juana, and Nilsa – and her children Alejandro and Mercedes Alina. Surviving are children, Sara Santana (Dario), David (Melanie), Nicolás José (Melissa Manuel), and Susan (Jason Rowland), twelve grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. A private ceremony and interment will be held. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to La Casa de Amistad in South Bend.

Correspondence to: Susy Haber, 6140 Old Orchard Road, Indianapolis, IN 46226.