Sally J. Strahl

Anyone familiar with Frank Sinatras song, "I did it my way" already has a glimpse of Sally Strahls life philosophy. The first few lyrics in particular best represent her life and now her death:

And now the end is near

And so I face the final curtain My friend, I'll say it clear I'll state my case of which I'm certain

I've lived a life that's full I've travelled each and every highway And more, much more than this I did it my way

Sally turned 86 years old on May 29, 2020 in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic and left her earthly life on July 6, 2020 after a battle with cancer.

In addition to her husband, Sally was preceded in death by her parents, and three siblings, John, Gerry, and Elizabeth."

She is survived by her daughter, Susan (Steve) Hayes, grandchildren, Shelby West and Clayton (Abigail) West; sisters, Mary Ann and Patty Pettigrew, Dorothy Schingel, brothers Jim (Marilyn) Pettigrew and Tom (Evelyn) Pettigrew, brother-in-law, Dale Shannon, as well as many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews."

And her story goes like this...

She attended Schlarman High School in Danville, IL., started a career with Illinois Bell, and then she kinda married Jack a couple of times but its not what you think. They wanted to get married secretly, applied for a marriage license in one county, got found out, so went to a different county for another marriage license. That one stuck, so on November 5, 1955, they were officially married.

She literally lived in the house that Jack built (and of course, he did, too) for nearly 60 years. That home was the pool-party, water volleyball playing epicenter of Danville. Sally did a lot of cooking for those get-togethers with many family members also contributing a variety of scrumptious sustenance for all to share. Sally was an accomplished non-swimmer but participated enthusiastically in the hot tub soaks.

Work-wise, Sally retired from AT&T in 1987 after a 30+ year stint of perfect attendance, yes - never missed a days work. She was quite healthy, her only doctor visits during her entire life in Illinois was pregnancy care and to give birth. She started as a switchboard operator and worked her way to management.

She loved to cook and for many years, her little family was quite well fed. Sally did have bouts of being over-served later in life and she is well-known for some of her more interesting antics and unconventional culinary combinations when Mr. Stolichnaya helped with dinner.

She hailed from the Big Band era and enjoyed the sounds of Benny Goodman, the Glen Miller orchestra as well as the smooth voices of Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and even Elvis. She was underwhelmed with the likes of the Beatles and pretty much any singers or bands that followed.

Sally was well-traveled - her family covered a lot of ground both internationally and domestically. From Europe to the Caribbean, South and Central America to Africa, she reached some by air and some by sea.

Her two favorite US destinations were Las Vegas, where she could stay awake longer than anyone in her family as she played the slots until the wee hours. Normally, its the child sneaking into the house at 4 a.m., but on most Vegas trips, it was Sally. And, more than once, she came in with more money than she started with.

She also loved Destin, Florida to escape the Illinois winters, and her stays sometimes extended to spring, summer, fall and the next winter, too.

Sally was an avid not-people person who enjoyed nothing more than relaxing in their family home in Florida - often staying for months at a time by herself, her presence undetected by the neighbors until shed be unable to restrain herself from lobbing an occasional profanity out the window, directed toward an unsuspecting interloper in her driveway.

She moved to Peachtree City, Georgia to be near her grandchildren, daughter and son-in-law in 2015 after Jack passed away.

She and Steve, her son-in-law, developed a very close bond, sharing their wit, sarcasm and similar sense of humor. With their propensity for homebodyness, they were a perfect verbal match, typically discussing their overall disappointment with humanity in general. Depending upon the topic or news of the day, there was the potential for their conversation to include mild to moderate cursing and perhaps a gesture or two to reinforce their views.

She chose to live her last five years in Heritage Assisted living (because her feeling was that there is only room for one woman per household) where she was loved by a very caring staff who describe her as sweet and funny. Sally was particularly fond of Joyce, Raven, Tanya, Melanie, and Laura. Wanda and Debbie were also instrumental in her care. We will be forever grateful for the love, kindness, care and friendship they afforded her, especially due to COVID-19 robbing her family of spending the last three months of her life with her.

Sally told it like it was, never left you guessing as to how she felt about you and lived her life as she saw fit with little concern about the opinions of others.

To say she was unique really doesnt do her justice but without a doubt, she was one of a kind - a woman whose life took on many facets throughout the years.

She will be greatly missed by those few whom she allowed into her fascinating world. Thankfully, God has had some time to prepare for her arrival and can now clearly see that heaven just got much more interesting.

A service to celebrate the life of Sally J. Strahl will begin at 10:30 AM on Monday, July 13, 2020 at the Chapel Mausoleum at Spring Hill Cemetery in Danville, where entombment will follow. Family and Friends are welcome at 10:00 AM. Father Dennis ORiley will officiate. Sunset Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Danville, 3940 N. Vermilion St. Danville, IL 61834, is in charge of arrangements.

Please join Sallys family in sharing stories and memories of her life through her tribute wall at www.sunsetfuneralhome.com.