The inimitable Sally Zurn Mead passed away suddenly and peacefully, on Saturday June 14, 2014, at her home in Albuquerque, N.M. She left the world on her own terms, just as she lived her life.
Sally was born in Erie on November 8, 1930, the daughter of the late Melvin and Marian Zurn. She enjoyed a childhood of sailing, sports and a wonderful circle of friends. She graduated from The Masters School, class of 1948, and attended Northampton School for Girls. Sally then attended Denison University, and left to be courted by her future husband, James M. Mead. Jim and Sally wed in August of 1953. They enjoyed fifty-one years together, until Jim’s death in 2005.
Sally made many beautiful homes for her family in Charlottesville, Va., Philadelphia, Pa., Princeton, N.J., Washington, D.C., and Albuquerque, N.M. Sally was an accomplished athlete, and particularly enjoyed tennis and golf, becoming tennis champion at the Philadelphia Cricket Club, and golf champion at Springdale Golf Course in Princeton. Sally spent many happy years in her manager position at the Junior League Shop of Washington, D.C.
In 1998, she relocated to Albuquerque, where she greatly enjoyed her active role of grandmother, and always welcomed family to the home she shared with her beloved cats. She was a voracious reader of every imaginable type of novel, often completing several books every few days. When not reading and helping with grandchildren, she worked hard on crossword puzzles and was especially fond of the Sunday New York Times Puzzles, which she usually completed.
Sally, also affectionately called “Dutch,” was known for her complete honesty, independent thought, generosity, loyalty, and her refreshing, dry sense of humor. She could be counted on to “tell it like it is,” and was always a source of loving advice and life perspectives to her children, grandchildren and many others.
In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother John H. Zurn and her cherished aunt, Arloween Zurn Todd.
Her survivors include her son, Scott (Suling) Mead, daughters, Sara Mead, and Hope (Brandon) Wynn. She is further survived by her grandchildren, Betsy, Amanda, Alex, Emma and Isabelle Mead, Jake Rupert, Emmett, Gus, Clay and Eleanor Wynn and her brothers, Frank, David and Roger Zurn. She is further survived by Bobbi Pollock, daughter of her beloved stepfather, the late Samuel J. Roberts. She also leaves her two most recent cats, Twinkie and Lulu.