Valerie Sarles

Valerie Sarles, who lived on Ledgelawn Avenue in Lexington, MA for more than 50 years, passed away on Sunday, April 13, in Rhinebeck, NY, age 87. Her children were present. 

Born Valerie McIntyre Armitage in Pittsburgh, PA. Val attended Carnegie Tech, first as a student in chemistry, later switching to English literature. Moving to Cambridge, MA in 1960, she met and married Frederick Williams (Bill) Sarles, a noted engineer, who passed away in 2020. She and Bill moved to Lexington, MA in 1965. They made their final home in Rhinebeck, NY in 2017.

Valerie had several jobs over the next 20 years, including an assistant to the Senior Editor of Houghton-Mifflin’s education division, medical transcription work at Mount Auburn Hospital, and office manager at Morehouse Associates Architects in Lexington. 

Val had so many talents. She had a special gift for building architectural miniatures, including the plantation mansion from the 1985 “North and South” mini-series, and a depression-era kitchen which won a competition award. She also sculpted, cast, and fired her own porcelain doll heads, and sewed beautiful period-style clothing for them. Some of these dolls were sold at a shop on Newbury St. in Boston. 

Val was much admired as an accomplished cook and baker, sometimes taking on commissioned work for special-occasion cakes. She also made creative birthday cakes for her children and grandchildren, which included such things as realistic looking bowl of guac and chips, a haunted cemetery, and a giant Hostess cupcake. One of her particular standouts was her shortbread — enjoyed by many during the Christmas holidays, it also did well in competitions, including at the Wilderstein Fala Gala, where the judge from the CIA declared, “THIS is shortbread!” and awarded first prize. It also took first place at the Dutchess County Fair. In her spare time, she enjoyed reading and studied the lute. 

Val was a revered mother, grandmother, mother-in-law, and friend. She loved the theater; she and Bill were very involved the Lexington Theater Company for many years, performing a wide variety of backstage tasks. A lover of the movies, Val was able to call up the most clever and appropriate lines instantly—a skill that became a favored mode of conversation at the family table—and was a daily Wordle addict. She loved animals, especially the generations of miniature poodles that kept her and Bill company throughout the decades.

Her memory will be forever a blessing to her family and friends. Valerie is survived by both of her children, Stephen Sarles, of Watertown, MA, and Elizabeth (Betsy) Sarles, of Rhinebeck, NY, and their spouses Ann Walters and Scott-Martin Kosofsky, and grandchildren Phen Sarles, Milo Kosofsky, Zelda Kosofsky, and Sophie Kosofsky.

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