 She co-chaired the 2014 World Fantasy Convention just months before she died due to complications from heart surgery.Sapienza was born on June 28, 1944, outside of Philadelphia, to Jack and Buddie McKnight, both members of the Philadelphia Science Fiction Society (PSFS).Her stepmother, Ann Newell McKnight, was also a member of PSFS, and her stepfather, Bill Evans, was active in the Washington Science Fiction Association (WSFA).