Sally Irene Anderson LaHaye
Sally Irene Anderson LaHaye, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away unexpectedly at the age of 82 at Stanford Hospital on Saturday, June 7, 2014. She was surrounded by her loving family.
Born August 4, 1931 in San Jose, California, she lived in Aptos, California since 1961.
Sally was diverse in her pursuits. She was a member of the altar guild at the Episcopal Church of St John in Aptos, and the Sonoma Valley Museum of Art. She established the LaHaye Arts Centre in Sonoma and designed and built her own home in Montana. She began her undergraduate studies at Stanford University in 1949, and left school to raise her family. Years later she returned to school, Regents College of New York, to complete her Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts, which she earned in 2001.
She radiated generosity and care for all. She made opportunities endless for her children and grandchildren, as well as for so many others that she took under her wing. Whether for people that she grew to closely know, or the local homeless, children in Sudan, abandoned animals, refugees in Syria, or aspiring students in need of sponsorship, she never hesitated to respond with generosity and care to anyone in need. She will be remembered as an angel to all.
Sally traveled the world during her many exciting years, from her first trip overseas to Europe in 1963, to cross-country caravan drives, jazz cruises, and family vacations to Club Med resorts, the south of France, and a 2011 trip to the Canadian Rockies. She made sure to see it all, and brought everyone with her.
She is survived by husband Norm Eldridge of Aptos, as well as by the close-knit family that she built and nurtured, including children Laura (and John) Bilson of Chicago, Brian (and Fereshteh) LaHaye of Aptos, and Barney (and Bonnie) LaHaye of Sonoma, as well as eight grandchildren, and one great grandchild. She is also survived by her brother Andy (and Dawn) Anderson of Hollister, and two nieces and two nephews and their two children.
Services will be held at 2:00 PM, Friday, June 13 at the Episcopal Church of St John, located at 125 Canterbury Dr., Aptos, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to the Episcopal Diocese of El Camino Real for the benefit of the Diocese of Western Tanganyika Scholarship Fund (P.O. Box 1903, Monterey, CA 93942 – please specify DWT Scholarship Fund); or Santa Cruz Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (P.O. Box 3800, Santa Cruz, CA, 95063). Sally was an active supporter of both, and would hope that the work of the two organizations can continue in her memory.
