She attended St. Ann’s Catholic Grade School where she met her future husband, Bob Heid. According to Dad, Mom was habitually late to school. It was obvious from an early age that Sally was blessed with the gift of gab. Many days he (and the nun) spotted her across the street stopping in to visit with several store owners even though she was already late. When she finally arrived, Sally grinned and explained sincerely to the nun that the owner’s feelings would have been hurt if she walked by and didn’t stop to say hello. She never lost her love of stopping to chat – or her belief that everyone had a story to tell.
In High School, Sally worked summers as a lifeguard at Roger Young park where she taught many Fremonters how to swim. Dad insists he never noticed her at the pool, but his grin told a different story. Mom certainly had eyes for Dad, and his sister Florence arranged a date for what she thought would be a perfect couple. Unfortunately, Dad got enticed to play a pick-up football game and failed to show up for the date. Legend has it his sister dragged him off the field and gave him an earful. If you thought getting yelled at by Woody Hayes was tough…
Sally was never one to let adversity hold her back and she moved on to bigger aspirations. Sally became the governor of the first Buckeye Girls State running on the slogan “Be a pal, vote for Sal”. Sally then attended Girls Nation where she was the campaign manager for the winning Presidential candidate. Mom’s love of politics was firmly cemented. Dad was not destined to win many arguments.
Sally attended Rosary College for two years before transferring to The Ohio State University in 1950. Dad’s sister Florence told him he would look after Sally, and this time no messing up. Dad took her advice to heart and escorted Sally home after playing in the infamous Snow Bowl. They were never apart again.
At OSU, Sally majored in Political Science and was an active member in her sorority, Kappa Kappa Gamma. She was able to live at the Kappa house while she attended law school at OSU, where she was one of two women in her class and the only female to graduate (1954) and practice law.
That summer was busy for Sally: she graduated from law school, sat for and passed the bar exam and married Bob on Labor Day, September 6, 1954. Bob and Sally moved to Washington, D.C. where Bob was stationed at Bolling Air Force Base. A year later, they moved back to Columbus and Mom worked for the Ohio Attorney General. Mom put her legal career on hold to have children. She had so inspired Dad, he attended law school at night while he worked at Columbia Gas during the day.
Sally and Bob eventually moved back to Fremont in December 1966 to raise their family in the hometown they both loved. When her youngest was in kindergarten, Sally joined Bob in the practice of law and they worked side by side until 2009. We like to think we learned a lot about law at the dinner table, but apparently only Brigid paid attention. Brigid went on to attend OSU law school and become president of the Columbus Bar Association. Mom was proud of all her children, but she was especially proud to have another female attorney in the family.
Sally gave of her time and talent to the benefit of her family and community. She was active in local Democratic politics, served on the boards of The Fremont Memorial Hospital and Birchard Public Library, as well as working for the Civil Service Commission. Sally was parishioner of St. Ann’s Catholic Church and found great comfort in her faith.
She had an active social life and loved attending and hosting parties. Sally was an avid reader and intellect, and especially enjoyed her Cosmopolitan Club. She also loved playing Bridge and recently we found an envelope of cash labeled “Bridge money”. Dad had no idea they could have retired much earlier.
Despite being a trailblazer and a feminist, Sally put her family first. Somehow, she managed to cook dinner most nights for her young and (mostly) grateful children. Unfortunately, some of her painstaking creations were beyond the teenage palate. Uneducated palates aside, dinner together was a family tradition and a treasured time of sharing the day’s events.
As a young girl, Sally visited Yellowstone and the west with her family and acquired an enduring love of the mountains, which she shared with all of us. We have wonderful memories of family trips out west seeing the Great Rocky Mountains and our national parks. Nothing could get in the way of those two memorable weeks each summer—not work, not whiny teenagers, and not sports (thank god football was in the fall).
One year before the vacation, Mom broke her foot tripping on a pair of carelessly discarded shoes on the back porch. Though it was just a few days before the annual trip, Mom didn’t cancel, not a chance. She just got a pair of crutches and carried on. Nothing like a 3,000-mile road trip of attorney interrogation to find the negligent party. Fortunately for us the back porch was full of shoes, and the evidence was insufficient for an indictment. Shoes were neatly put away at the end of the vacation.
Both our parents loved animals of all shapes and sizes, patiently putting up with the numerous “pets” we brought into the house. Our beloved family dog, “Ralph” came to us following the tornado of 1977. With the childhood certainty he would never be discovered, we discreetly hid the puppy under a table on the back porch covered with a blanket, while Mom and Dad attended a social event. It never occurred to us that he would run into their arms the moment they opened the screen door. For mom it was love at first sight (sorry Bob).
As she aged, she shifted her love of wildlife to her backyard birds and squirrels. Mom was known to chase off cats and birds-of-prey wearing her bathrobe and wielding a large Super Soaker gun. While we considered it normal behavior, the meterman she surprised one morning was not so sure. We still have the birds and squirrels, the meterman has not returned.
We loved our mother, her wonderful sense of humor, and her love of life. We all called her frequently for her sage advice and comfort. No matter where we were in life or what we were going through, Mom was always there to cheer us up or cheer us on.
Now we take comfort that she is reunited with the love of her life, Bob. We will carry them forever in our hearts along with the many wonderful memories we shared and the lessons they taught us.
Sally was preceded in death by her parents Frank M. Reardon and Marcella Klos Reardon, her son-in-law Bruce Tobin, and her husband Robert C. Heid. She is survived by her children Jennifer Tobin, Charles (Laurie), Emily (Jere Kolstad), Brigid (Kurt Swartzlander) and grandchildren Max, Nathan, and Alex.
Thank you to everyone who extended kindness to Sally in the last few years as her health declined. A special thanks to the staff at Elmwood Skilled Nursing for their compassionate care and the wonderful outings that Mom enjoyed so much.
Sally will be missed but never forgotten.
Visitation will take place on Friday, February 2, 2018 from 4-7P.M. at Keller-Koch-Chudzinski Funeral Home, 416 S. Arch Street, Fremont, OH. A Mass of Resurrection will begin at 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, February 3, 2018 at St. Ann Catholic Church. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Birchard Public Library, R.B. Hayes Presidential Library and Museum or St. Ann Catholic Church.
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