Sally Wells Whiteley
May 17, 1928 ~ October 18, 2021 (age 93)
Tribute
Sally Wells Whiteley died peacefully at her Santa Fe home on October 18, 2021.
Born number 7 of 8 children to Joseph O. and Lillian S. Whiteley in York, Pennsylvania, she is survived by her sister Lillian Morch of Belleville, Ontario, 36 nieces and nephews, and partner Judy Rhymes.
She attended The Ethel Walker School and graduated from Bennington College with a degree in music composition and conducting.
Inquisitive, fearless, forthright, high-spirited and fiercely independent, she traveled the world from an early age. She studied drumbeats in Haiti, started a clothing manufacturing company in Japan, scaled the Himalayas, and mined for uranium in the Mojave Desert.
Always a music lover, she was instrumental in starting Young Audiences in San Francisco. She especially enjoyed the wonderful friendships she developed with musicians over the years; many used her San Francisco living room as a rehearsal hall.
Sally had homes in San Francisco, Santa Fe and Taos, the places she held most dear. Nothing was more special for her than sitting under her apricot tree at her Taos home with a glass of Sancerre and the Wall Street Journal, the mountains in the background.
A special thanks to Jeanie and Miriam of Ambercare, and to Lily Gonzalez, who provided loving care and comfort.
There will be no service. Just make a toast to Sally or another adventurous spirit in your life. Donations in her memory may be made to Taos School of Music, P. O. Box 2630, Taos, NM 87571 or to Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, P.O. Box 2227, Santa Fe, NM 87504-2227.
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