Sara's long eventful life began on the Sunday morning of Aug. 19, 1906 in Logan, Utah, where she was born to Edward Thomas Harris and Carrie Martin Harris. As the eldest of four sisters, Kit, Carlie, and Allie, she was raised in rural Kemmerer, Wyo., and raised in an environment filled with love, friendship, responsibility, and opportunity. Her home was one where education was a priority, national events, politics, and social causes were topics of discussion, and the belief that a person can achieve whatever she desires was instilled by her parents. Sara went to college and moved to Iowa where she earned her degree in music education at Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, in June of 1928. Her first teaching job was as an algebra teacher in Miles, Iowa.

 

Sara was married to Frederick A. McAbeer on Dec. 24, 1929. In 1930 they moved to Salinas, where she worked as a secretary for the American Automobile Association and as an evening schoolteacher. From 1934-1941 Sara and Fred lived in Berkeley, where she worked as a secretary for the director of supervised teaching, while Fred earned his degree at UC Berkeley. In 1939 her daughter Winifred was born. Winnie was her only child. During World War II Sally and Winnie moved to Yellowstone National Park to be with Sally's sisters away from the Pacific Ocean.

 

Sally did her best at being Winnie's mother, while fulfilling her choice to be a career woman in the '40s, '50s, working full time. The two remain close today and have developed a special relationship.

 

After the war, in 1947, the family moved to Vallejo. Sally started teaching English in the Vallejo public schools, then moved on to Napa High School in 1950 where she continued teaching that subject. After earning her pupil personnel credential through the University of the Pacific, she then became dean of girls at Napa High school in 1955 and held that position until she retired in 1972. She loved being part of an educational institution, was extremely well read, wanted to provide the opportunities for others to succeed and was adamant in following the structure and rules that she was responsible for as the dean of girls. She was loyal to her profession, determined to steer young people in the right direction and to provide them with life skills that would allow them to achieve their goals. Our family has heard of the many stories of her "reign" as dean but the one that stands out the most is that evidently she took issue with patent leather shoes! (She denied this though.) When Sally retired, she laughed at all of the stories students would tell our family, was pleased to learn of the impact she made to many young individuals who up until last week still would come up to her and always say "Do you remember me Mrs. McAbeer?" To those of you who wondered, she actually did! Just a few years ago she went as a guest to the reunion of the class of 1956.

 

What most of Mrs. McAbeer's students didn't know was that she made a stand for equal pay in dean's jobs in the Napa schools and had drafted a letter of resignation to Dr. Macpherson stating that unless her salary matched that of the dean of boys she would be gone on Monday. She succeeded and changed the pay scale in Napa School district. She found doctors and dentists in the community who would help out students who needed their assistance for no cost; she worked with service organizations to get scholarships, projects and support for her students.

During her retirement years Sally started a new chapter in her life one that was filled with travel, volunteerism, and family. Sally started traveling in 1972 with her best friend Barbara Murnan, and saw much of the world. She traveled to Australia, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East and brought home to her family some wonderful treasures. She cherished the hand made crèche she bought in Jerusalem, the time she spent in London when her daughter's family was living there in 1976; going to Japan with her good friend Verona, and going to the Vatican with her sister Allie and her husband Ole. One of her favorite trips was taken when she was 85 she and her two granddaughters traveled with the Napa Valley Junior College tour to Oberamergau, Germany to see the Passion play. It was quite an eventful trip with lots of memories.

 

Most of her former students probably didn't know that for the last 30 years Sally has been a major contributor to the Napa community through service and donations. Until a few years ago she was volunteering 100 hours a year for Community Projects, served on the altar guild at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, was a representative to the Santa Rosa Diocese representing St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, made food for the "Table," was on call for the suicide "hot line" during the graveyard hours, and gave to many local organizations: American Cancer Society, Kiwanis, Molly's Angels, the Napa Food Bank, Church of United Women, St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, Relay for Life, Reach for the Stars, and many more. She was a member of AAUW, Delta Kappa Gamma, and was named in Who's Who of American Women. She played bridge every two weeks with her very close friends, and spent most of her time reading biographies, doing needlework, and staying caught up with current events. She loved music, loved to dance and enjoyed her special time with her dance partner, Loren Stratton.

Most people knew Sally in one of her many roles either as: a friend, a peer, a teacher or dean; however the role she cherished the most was mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. The joy of Sally's life was her family. Since Winnie and her family settled in Napa in 1970 there was the opportunity, to see the girls grow up, to watch them at sports events, take them to their catechism classes (in her red Volvo), take care of them in the afternoons and to have Sunday dinner each week and to travel with her family. She was very generous toward them all and spent many hours visiting with them teaching them life's lessons and just sharing stories and times. Once the two girls were adults they returned to the area to raise their families, and to Sally's delight they gave her the gift of four great-grandsons. In these final years they brought great joy to her life. Though she lived alone in her own home until her death, Sally saw and enjoyed her family every day.

 

Sally was predeceased by her former husband, Frederick A. McAbeer, and by her sisters: Catherine Gillum, Carlena Cogswell and Alice Quist. Sally is survived by her daughter, Winifred, son-in-law Armond, granddaughters Rachel Wyckoff and Megan Sherman, and grandsons-in-law Larry Wyckoff and David Sherman. She is the great-grandmother of Charlie and Michael Wyckoff, and of Luke and Jack Sherman. She also leaves numerous nephews and their families: Edward Gillum, James Quist, Don, Tom and Jerry Cogswell, and her cousin Melba Carney.

Sally's final request fits in with her generous, caring nature. She requested that her body be given to UC San Francisco to help in medical research. Sally will be sorely missed by her loved ones, her friends, and those to whom she made a difference.

A memorial mass will be held for her at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m..

In lieu of flowers please send contributions to the Sara McAbeer Memorial Scholarship fund for Napa High School via the Vintage Bank or to one of the charities she supported. Final arrangements by UCSF are being made by Claffey and Rota Funeral Home.

This article was in the Napa Register and I thought it would be appropriate to go with Mrs. McAbeer's obituary.