Sarah Elsworth: Pregnant mother killed in Nowra crash remembered at emotional ceremony

A pregnant mum killed in a tragic crash near Nowra has been remembered as a “beautiful” wife and mum, as hundreds of mourners came together to say farewell.

Marc remembered Sarah as an amazing mother and partner with a contagious smile.

“I would give anything to see your smile again” were the words of a grieving husband and father, saying goodbye to his wife who was tragically killed in a car crash outside Nowra on August 14.

Sarah Elsworth, 22, from Ulladulla was killed last week in Jerrawangala when her car collided with a truck on the Princes Hwy.

On Thursday, hundreds of friends and family gathered at the Dunn Lewis Centre in Ulladulla to say goodbye and pay tribute to the young ‘Inasmuch Community’ care worker, avid swimmer, footy and netball player and mother at her funeral.

News of the fatal crash hit the community hard, with Sarah’s football club Milton Ulladulla Bulldogs – where she met her husband Marc – raising money for the young family during Sunday’s matches at Mollymook Oval.

An emotional Marc, holding with their one-year-old daughter Aaliyah in hand, remembered his “beautiful” wife.

Sarah Elsworth was killed while she was pregnant with her son.

“From the day I met you, you always made me smile,” he said. “You gave me so many memories and I will cherish you forever.”

Sarah, described by friends at the ceremony as “the world’s best mother”, was pregnant with her and Marc’s second child, this time a baby boy, at the time of the horrific crash.

Marc took the opportunity to say goodbye to his unborn son.

“Look after my baby boy,” he said.

In Marc’s emotional speech, he wrote what Aaliyah would say to her mother if she were old enough to speak.

“I love you mummy, I love dancing with you and I will miss you so much,” he wrote.

Sarah Elsworth with her daughter, Aaliyah.

Sarah’s father Stephen said he was not saying goodbye to his daughter, rather it was “see you soon”.

“Our beautiful daughter, I don’t know how our lives are going to be the same again,” he said.

“We will miss your daily visits and miss you asking us what’s for dinner, hinting you want to come over and hinting you want us to cook potato bake.”

Stephen said his daughter had given him and his wife, Sarah’s mother Melanie the best gift of all.

“You were an amazing mum to Aaliyah and we are forever thankful for you giving us a beautiful, amazing granddaughter,” he said.

Marc and friends carried Sarah's casket out of the centre.

Lines from the poem ‘Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow’, published in 2004, were read to the hundreds in attendance to conclude the ceremony.

As Marc walked out of the building, Sarah’s casket in his hand, the words of the song “If I Die Young”, picked by Sarah should something tragic ever happened, echoed the halls of the centre.

And while tears flowed and Sarah’s friends hugged, Sarah’s face looked down on all from the screen above, words underneath reading “In loving memory of Sarah Elsworth”.