Minear

PARSONS – Sarah Minear, a pioneering Tucker County politician and philanthropist, passed away at age 84 Tuesday.

On Election Day Nov. 4, 1994, Minear was elected to the West Virginia State Senate representing the 14th District, eventually serving in the position for 12 years. She was the first woman to be elected to represent the district.

During her time in the state Senate, she served on Committees including Finance, Banking and Insurance, Economic Development, Government Organization, Interstate Cooperation, Natural Resources, Forest Management Review, Joint Committee on Government Operations, and the Legislative Rule-Making Review Committee.

After the devastation seen in Tucker County during the historic 1985 flood, Minear, a Parsons native, helped create a charitable foundation which has since raised and distributed millions of dollars across the local region.

Spearheaded by Minear, who served as the founding president, the Tucker Community Foundation was officially established in 1989, with more than 40 board members paying a substantial fee to establish the first endowed fund. The Foundation’s total assets had grown to $44 million in 2024, and the organization manages more than 150 funds.

Since 2007, Tucker Community Foundation’s biggest fundraiser, the annual Run For It event, has raised more than $3.2 million, with funding being dispersed across Tucker, Barbour, Grant, Mineral, Pendleton, Pocahontas, Preston, Randolph and Upshur counties in West Virginia, and in Garrett County, Maryland.

In addition, the Robert W. & Sarah M. Minear Fund was founded in 1990.

Minear was well-known for being deeply engaged in civic and church life, holding leadership roles in community organizations, including the River City Garden Club, the West Virginia Chamber of Commerce and the St. George Medical Clinic Board.

She also served as an officer with the Tucker County Arts Council, Tucker County Chamber of Commerce board and Mon Valley Tri-State Network. She was a charter member of the Tucker County Development Authority, and served on the Allegheny Front Regional Development Authority, Tucker County Republican Executive Committee and WV State Republican Committee, the Tucker County Farm Bureau, and the West Virginia Forestry Association.

She graduated from Parsons High School and attended Fairmont State College, West Virginia Business College, and West Virginia University.

She served as a Deacon and Elder and on several committees for Parsons Presbyterian Church.

She and the late Robert W. Minear Sr. were married in May 1975. He served in executive leadership with Continental Telephone Company, and later with First National Bank (now Mountain Valley Bank) before retiring in 1993. He also helped spearhead the development of Cortland Acres Nursing Home and served in many community organizations, including the VFW, Ruritan Club and Masonic Lodge.

Sarah Minear, who had lived for several years in Morgantown, passed away peacefully Tuesday at Harmony at White Oaks in Bridgeport, officials said.

A graveside committal service will be held at Parsons City Cemetery on Thursday, Sept 4th at 11 a.m.