Sara Ann (Sally) Mullholland, 87

Sara Ann (Sally) Mulholland, 87, passed away on Sunday, July 7, 2024 at Teresian House Nursing Home. Born January 23, 1937 in Philadelphia, PA. Daughter of the late Charles P. and Sarah (Liney) Mulholland and granddaughter of the late Patrick and Mary (McCloskey) Mulholland of Ireland; and James and Catherine (Shields) Liney of County Donegal, Ireland.

Beloved mother of Carolyn Kelly (Dan) of Guilderland, NY and Richard Schleeter (Fran) of Williamstown, NJ; cherished sister of Mary Mulholland of Media, PA; and sister-in-law Christina Mulholland of Drexel Hill, PA. Adored grandmother of Erin Leahy (Evan); Mary Kelly; Danny Kelly; Alexis Conway (Andrew).

Beloved aunt of Patrick Mulholland (Nurys), Andrew Mulholland (Mary Collins), Megan Rush (Mike), and Jennifer Clark (Mike). Beloved great aunt of Colin and Camilla Mulholland; Lauren and Micheal Rush; Madalyn, Caitlyn, Alyson, and Brynn Clark. Cherished godmother of Jennifer Baldassare of Staten Island, NY.

Predeceased by grandson D'Artagnan Schleeter (age 17, from leukemia), brother Charles P. Mulholland  in 2007, nephew Joseph Aloysius McGowan in 2007, and her husband, Carl Schleeter, on April 4, 1981.

Sally never forgot her roots at 5838 Trinity Place in Southwest Philadelphia in the 1940's and 1950's, she loved her neighborhood community and her parish, Most Blessed Sacrament. Proud graduate of West Catholic Girls High. She played the piano and trombone in the orchestra.

Sally resided in Milmont Park, PA for 46 years, moving to Williamstown, NJ in 2007 and Albany, NY in 2021. She was an active member of Our Lady of Peace parish and later St. Rose of Lima parish. She enjoyed saying "You can take the girl out of Philly, but you cannot take Philly out of the girl." She loved everything about the city of Philadelphia and the surrounding area, the people, the row homes, the variety of neighborhoods, the churches and parishes, the bakeries, the stores, the newspapers, the sports teams (especially the Phillies and the Eagles), the numerous colleges and universities, hoagies, cinnamon buns, soft pretzels, the Art Museum and Logan Circle, Longwood, and especially Wildwood Crest. When her children were young, she could not afford a week or even an overnight at "the shore" but that did not stop her from packing the car with a picnic basket and taking her children on day trips to the Crest.

Sally was a dedicated and proud 25-year employee of Bell Atlantic at One Parkway and 17th & Arch, retiring in 1991. Starting in the steno pool and quickly assigned to the President's Office, Sally's talents as a gifted writer and editor became evident and she was sought out by the Bell executive speech writing team and Public Relations to assist in providing polished legislative and public facing communications. Her hard work, sharp mind, and attention to detail led to supervisory and highly responsible management positions in Treasury and the Legal Department. While in the Legal Department, she was part of the team who worked on the landmark "Divestiture" decree which ultimately led to the breakup of AT&T and the Bell system.

As a devout Catholic and parent who highly valued education, she also worked a second job three to four nights a week, from 1977-1981, as a legal secretary at the well-respected Philadelphia law firm of Schnader Harrison Segal & Lewis, in order to provide a Catholic high school education for her children.  She left the house at 7am to catch the train to Center City and did not return home until 10pm. Her value to the firm was soon recognized and they provided a taxi each night to bring her directly home.

When her children were young, Sally set up an office in her basement and typed and edited many dissertations for PhD candidates at Swarthmore College, Drexel University, and the University of Pennsylvania. Word spread that her documents met all formatting requirements exactly, no easy feat with the typewriters of that time.

Learning from her mother who had worked in the Philadelphia Stock Exchange during the depression, Sally was a disciplined saver and investor and was able to retire at age 54. In her retirement years Sally thoroughly enjoyed many years of travel throughout the United States, England, and Ireland. Traveling alone did not deter her from her desire to see the world. Sally loved organized bus, rail, river, and sea tours and returned from every trip with new found friends who became lifelong pen pals. She volunteered at Fitzgerald Mercy Hospital and other human services organizations in the Philadelphia area for many years and swam at the then newly built Ridley Y.  When the need to live closer to one of her children was apparent, she chose the child with the warmer climate, and found the home of her dreams in Holiday City in Williamstown, NJ, thoroughly enjoying new friends, new social activities, and swimming almost daily throughout the year at St. Matthews pool.

Sally was an accomplished seamstress for over 70 years who created hundreds of garments for her family, friends, community events including many velvet Santa suits, and numerous theatrical productions of her children's and grandchildren's schools. Many wedding parties were thrilled to have found Sally to alter their gowns for a perfect fit.  She also created custom drapes and upholstered furniture slipcovers.

Before GPS came on the scene, Sally was the premier public transportation and directional expert for anyone traveling to the city of Philadelphia. She knew every rail, bus, trolley, and car route in the city off the top of her head.  In retirement Sally volunteered to work the travel desk at large conventions held in Philadelphia. If Sally gave you directions, you were guaranteed confidence and success in correct and efficient arrival.

Sally cherished her family, providing a happy home filled with love. Her grandchildren and nieces and nephews and their families were the lights of her life. She got down on the floor and played with them for hours when they were young, and always kept well stocked cabinets and a freezer full of ice cream treats for their visits. She shared her faith and love of chocolate with them, read to them, and loved attending their activities, games, and performances. Sally also cherished her friends. As they all advanced in years, she checked in with them daily by phone. Sally never missed sending a birthday card, graduation card, or note of congratulations or thanks. Sally delighted many with her amazing apple pies.

Sally was a gentle, generous, thoughtful, and kind soul, noted by many as one of the kindest people they had ever met. She saw goodness in everyone and treated everyone she met with the utmost of respect. She thought nothing of making food and bringing gifts to those less fortunate, by way of public transportation, with two young children in tow. She gave quietly and generously to anyone in difficult circumstances and offered to lend a hand whenever she could. Her Catholic faith was her bedrock, through three bouts of breast cancer and the loss of her beloved grandson to leukemia, Sally's faith never wavered. She held the Blessed Mother close to her heart. Every bride she knew was confident that Sally was placing the Blessed Mother statue in her window to assure them beautiful weather for their wedding day. Sally was recognized as an Outstanding Catholic by the Archdiocese of Philadelphia in 1978.

Heaven has truly gained an angel.

Special thanks to those in the medical profession who gave us bonus years with our mom: Dr. Trina Poretta, Netranie Singh, Dr. William Tetreault, Dr. Eugene Pashkovetsky, Our Lady of Mercy Life Center and the outstanding staff at Teresian House.

Albany area friends are invited to a viewing on Wednesday, July 10, 2024 from 5pm to 7pm at McVeigh Funeral Home, 208 N. Allen St. Albany, NY.

Philadelphia area family and friends are invited to a viewing on Thursday, July 11, 2024 from 6pm – 8pm at White-Luttrell Funeral Home, 311 N. Swarthmore Ave. Ridley Park, PA.

On Friday, July 12, 2024 at St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, 1901 Chester Pike, Eddystone, PA, a viewing will be held from 10am to 10:45am, followed by a funeral mass at 11am.  Burial Holy Cross Cemetery, Yeadon.

The family kindly requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in memory of Sally to Embrace Kids Foundation www.embracekids.org or to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, www.lls.org.