Sally Zuck McBain passed away peacefully on April 28, 2024 at The Dalles Health and Rehab Center in The Dalles, OR where she had been in Comfort Care since early January following a stroke just prior to Christmas.
Sally was born November 10, 1947 in Erie, PA to Clark and Aleta Zuck. She is survived by her husband, Kenneth A. McBain of The Dalles, two sons, Matthew Jones and his wife Denise of Barcelona, Spain and Timothy Jones of Seattle, WA with two grand children Nordika and Vienna Jones. and their mother Kristen Choiniere, and siblings Martin Zuck and Todd Zuck of Fairview, PA and Christine Jacobsen of San Antonio, TX. She also leaves her cherished dog Mitzi.
Following high school graduation in Erie, Sally attended three years at Mount Union College in Alliance, OH where she met and married William Jones. While he attended Case Western Reserve Medical School in Cleveland, Sally obtained her BA degree in Sociology at Cleveland State University. Following William’s internship at the University of Virginia Medical School, the couple moved to Zuni, New Mexico for William’s two year stint with the Public Health Service on the Zuni Reservation. It was there that Sally developed a deep affection for the southwest and Native American culture.
Following divorce, Sally pursued extensive Masters level coursework in Gerontology at the University of Oregon in Eugene. She then began a twenty-five year career in Senior Services including Counselor at a senior service program in Ontario, OR, co-owner with her then husband, Michael Sirrine, of MLE In-Home Services in La Grande, OR, nine years as Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging in The Dalles and founding Director of the Wyoming Gerontological Association in Casper, WY. During her years in Oregon, Sally wrote a bi-monthly column for several local newspapers and hosted weekly radio programs
Sally and Ken were married on December 28, 1993 in The Dalles, moving to Carson City, NV in 1995. The couple moved to Casper, WY in 2001 where Sally worked with the American Cancer Society along with the WGA. Both Ken and Sally retired in 2004 and relocated to Madoc, Ontario, Canada where most of Ken’s family lived. They returned to the U.S. (Erie, PA) in late 2009 to help care for Sally’s parents and following their passing, returned to The Dalles in 2010.
Sally always considered the Columbia River Gorge her home.
Sally was a lifelong artist (watercolors), photographer and writer. She blogged about aging for several years and published a most unique book – Soul Portrait - Improving Quality of Life by Making Aging Personal, published by Dog-Ear Publishing in 2012. Along with her book, she has more than 200 poems copyrighted with the Library of Congress.
There will be no memorial services with cremation provided by Bateman Carroll Funeral Home in Gresham, OR. Her ashes will be dispersed by her husband and sons at an un-disclosed location. If anyone wishes to make a donation in her memory, her favorite organizations were The Audobon Society and The Nature Conservancy.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.9.6