Sally Ann Vega

Sally was born on January 4th, 1963, in Brooklyn NY to Charles and Veronica "Vera" Wood. She was lovingly welcomed into the family by her older brother, Gary Wood. Gary and Sally always enjoyed a loving and supportive brother & sister bond. As a team, Vera, Gary and Sally worked hard to maintain a loving and peaceful household.

From a very early age, Sally made a priority of building close personal friendships. Sally excelled at supporting her family and friends during difficult times in their lives. She made it her mission to enrich and improve the lives of others with her love, care, and concern. Over a dozen of those relationships spanned over 40 years and continue to this day.

In her late teens, Sally grew her straight blonde hair beyond the small of her back. It was so long and straight that some would notice that she would turn her entire body instead of her head to face in a different direction.

In 1982, Sally met Robert "Bobby" Vega of Brooklyn, NY and they were engaged the next year. On September 22nd, 1984, Sally and Bob married. On September 10th, 1988, Sally gave birth to her first son, Matthew Joseph Vega. The family was completed on May 25th, 1990, when Eric Robert Vega was born. This allowed Sally to accomplish what she wanted most in life; to love, to be loved, and to have a family of her own.

Raising her two boys brought Sally immense satisfaction and fulfillment. She dedicated all of her time and energy to develop her boys into the fine young men that they became, while working two part time jobs as a Chiropractic Assistant and Office Manager for a custom home builder.

Sally always downplayed her own beauty to focus more on the positive attributes of others. She always had time to dedicate to giving comfort to others in pain or need. Her gentle and loving nature was always on display to the world. Sally's Christian faith was strong, and never wavered. She had a firm belief in the power of prayer and spent at least 45 minutes every day in prayer. Her 'My Saint Pio Prayer Book' was worn out and frayed at the edges. Charity and giving back were always at the top of Sally's priorities.

She dedicated her time and resources to such causes as Meals on Wheels, Saint Mary's Food Bank, Phoenix Children's Hospital, and Compassion International.

The death of her son Matthew changed her life in a way that only a mother can understand. Sally carried that burden with dignity and grace, although the scars were lasting and painful. It was a loss from which she would never fully recover.

Sally devoted much of her later years to the care and development of young children; she loved her work as a Teacher's Aid to first and second graders and spent several years as a nanny to Ivy and Cole Bauman of Peoria, AZ. Even after leaving the employment of the Baumans, Sally continued to be involved in Ivy and Cole's lives as a loved and trusted member of the family, regularly attending events and supporting their hobbies and interests.

Although she would never acknowledge it, Sally had an extraordinary talent for painting; she often transformed photographs given to her by family and friends into beautiful works of art.

Bob's siblings Claire, Billy, Richie, and Tommy (and their spouses Timmy, Joanie, Laura, and Kathleen) never considered Sally to be an in-law. She was loved and cherished as a true sister. For many years Sally and Bob hosted a magnificent Thanksgiving feast at their home in Staten Island. It was a highlight of the family's calendar year. Cooking amazing meals was a passion for Sally and it gave her great pleasure to see the joy that her delicious recipes would bring to her family.

September of 2024 would have marked Sally and Bob's 40th wedding anniversary. During those 40 years together, their love and devotion to each other flourished and was obvious to everyone. Sally was the center of Bob's universe, and he was not shy about letting everyone know it. They never had an unkind word for each other, and the strength of their marriage bond was an inspiration.

The world was a better place with Sally in it. Her departure comes as a great shock and will leave a deep wound, but the memory of her beautiful smile will remain in the hearts of everyone that loved her. When you think of Sally, you think of that smile.

Wednesday, June 5 there will be a wake held at McLaughlin Funeral Home at 9620 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn from 2-5pm and 7-9pm.

On Thursday, June 6th we will be celebrating Sally’s life at The Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd at 7420 4th Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn at 10am.

The family deeply appreciates the outpouring of love and support during this extremely difficult time and asks that in lieu of flowers that you use those resources to make a generous contribution to the Phoenix Children's Hospital (phoenixchildrens.org) in Sally's name.