Longtime Pinedale resident, Sally Hill Mackey, died at her home late Tuesday, January 26, surrounded by family. She was 94 years old and said on her birthday last summer she was going to live to be 100. This incredible drive to look to the future with positive expectations summarizes much of her life. She said in an interview in 2012, "I hope never to awake and wonder…what can I do today?" From her chair in the window on Maybell, Sally enjoyed every day. While her health prevented her from living independently the last three or more years, Sally's life was enriched tremendously with help of daughter Molly Olson and her husband Ken. Not only did they allow her to continue to live at home, they helped her attend many community events; recently she loved the community theatre's production of Oklahoma last fall (…but, who didn't?), attended Christmas programs and events at the library. Sally enjoyed daily walks even in below-zero weather, reading, visits from her daughter-in-law Marilyn, granddaughters, and many friends. The women who gathered at her home several times each month for Tuesday lunch discussed politics including local, state and national issues, books, movies, and news articles…never gossip (wink, wink)! Molly's dog Eli was her constant companion who also helped her watch out her window and count the deer. Just last summer, Sally was able to attend a showing of her mother's paintings at Ivinson Mansion in Laramie, watch a Frontier Days parade in Cheyenne, and participate in a celebration of life for her grandson Dylan Riske. "Sally was no idle passenger in life," said good friend and fellow Llama Lady Mary Lynn Worl. "She lived life to the fullest, and, through her grass roots involvement, she made our community stronger." Known as "the lady on the bike," her activities ranged from teaching kindergarten, high school English and working as a high school librarian to engaging in civic activism and politics to swimming at the lake with Jane Johnston and Ellen Reed to pursing life-long learning, to name just a few. She was active in the local chapter of the Red Cross when she and John first moved to Pinedale. "I always knew it would be a good day when I saw Sally. She was a ray of hope and a ray of sunshine in my life. Lucky and now Zeta (my dogs) adored her, as did I," said neighbor Fran Korfanta. "She was one of my biggest cheerleaders and an amazing role model and I was so lucky to have in my life for as long as I did. All the amazing life lessons she taught me I will never forget. I am such a lucky granddaughter," added Julie Mackey. "Sally Mackey was a beautiful woman who loved generously and with a spirit of youthful adventure. Whether we spotted her across the street smiling sweetly as she offered peas from her garden, or spied her cruising by on her bicycle, or shared ladies tea with her at her home, a moment with Sally always made you feel like you'd been soaking up sunshine," wrote Ashley Larkin, a Korfanta granddaughter-in-law. Kristen Larkin remarked, "She was an incredible woman who became part of our family and cared for me as one of her own. Heaven gained an angel and now she gets to be with her husband and Grandma and Grandpa (Korfanta) in heaven looking over us" Sally was born to Evelyn and John A. Hill in Laramie, Wyoming, on August 10, 1921. She was their only daughter and youngest child. She had four older brothers and called her cousin, Eleanor Hitchcock Mullens (the only girl in a family with 3 brothers), who lived next door, her sister. Her years in Laramie were the source of many stories, told with much fondness and respect for all of her family: parents, brothers, Corthell grandparents, Hitchcock and Corthell aunts and uncles, and many, many cousins. Sally's mother made sure all of the children traveled near and far. One summer seven (or more) cousins piled into the car with Evelyn at the wheel and visited the Grand Canyon and other parts of the southwest. Sally remembers her mother's pained reaction as her brothers and male cousins pretended to push each other into the canyon. Sally's younger cousin, Alan "Corky" Corthell (Anchorage), remembers, "Sally was a big part of my early life. She was a tomboy when that wasn't stylish; she lived with four big, active brothers, and she wasn't about to miss out on anything just because she was a girl. She wore bib overalls when most girls wouldn't be caught dead in pants. She was her Dad's delight; when he put the boys to work, Sally would grab a shovel and dig. It made me feel pretty big if I could keep up with Sally for half a day. She has been a big part of her community as well as a sort of focal point for our whole family. We will miss her." In keeping with family tradition, the summer of 1927, Sally and her brothers jumped into the Franklin for a second family trek to Yellowstone Park. (The first family trek took place in 1903, when Sally's grandmother, Eleanor Corthell, carefully balanced all seven of her children in a buckboard wagon bound for Yellowstone Park. To convince her husband the trip made sense, she argued "'…such an ideal vacation for the children, a summer out-of-doors, seeing their native state! A chance for their geography, botany, zoology, to be naturalized. To be drivers and cooks would put them on their own resources somewhat, a valuable education in itself. So economical, too! Such a fine opportunity for stretching of legs and lungs, with the park at the end! Reasons to turn a man's head, you see!' When the boys wrote along the wagon top "Park or Bust, " that settled it and we started July 4th, 1903." ) Of Sally's trip, her mother wrote they camped most of the way "our beds spread over sand and sagebrush. How the children enjoyed getting breakfast in the open! Not a soul in miles, how they whooped and cheered! We hustled with our housekeeping, however, so as to have more time at the river. Twice, we startled antelope near the road and they raced away toward the hills." Throughout their years in Pinedale, Sally and John also made many family camping trips to enjoy the Park where John had served as a fire guard as a young man; in addition, the Mackey kids were treated to aerial views of Yellowstone Park from the cockpit of John's Cessna. Sally's father was the Dean of the College of Agriculture at the University of Wyoming and later served as an interim President. Her mother was a civic leader and landscape artist. After attending schools in Laramie and graduating from the University of Wyoming with a degree in psychology, she went first to Seattle and then Alaska to work as a civil service employee during World War II. She met her husband, John, there where he was a pilot flying the submarine patrol out of Anchorage and down the Aleutian Island chain to Umnak. They were married March 2, 1944, in Laramie and lived in Fresno, California, where John was stationed at Hammer Field. Following the war, they returned to Laramie where John attended law school and Sally cared for their three children Susie, Steve and Molly. They moved to Pinedale in 1950 after John's graduation; a district judge had recommend they check out the opportunities. From the beginning, they loved the town and its surrounding beauty: the clear sparkling waters of Fremont Lake with the stunning mountains in the background and the hunting and fishing possibilities. Sally once said "We came to Pinedale at absolutely the right time. There were lots of us who'd used the GI Bill and we were all starting out together. Newcomers were welcomed warmly by many local residents---it was a magical time here in Pinedale." They moved into their home on Maybell around 1951 across the street from the Korfanta family. For many years after Sunny Korfanta and John had died, Fanny and Sally checked on each other every day, making sure their window blinds were open and their days had begun in good order. Both women died in their bedrooms at home…a short distance across the street from each other. Community and Civic Activities Sally loved Pinedale more than words can describe but her actions say it all. A driving force to preserve, protect and stimulate culture and environment caused her to weigh in on most local issues. "She had a common sense approach to solving issues: do your research and listen to others. She was not afraid to voice her opinion and to stand by it. Engaging others in conversation about the ideas and concerns she had was a Sally trademark. Everyone needed to be involved in order to plan responsibly for now and the future. Sally was always willing to do more than her part," said Worl. Sally's first civic project involved her in the creation of a library. In an 2011 interview with Sam Luvisl of the Sublette County Examiner, Sally told how the Sublette County Library was created. Noting that Sublette was the only county in the state without a library, she, along with Doris Burzlander, encouraged Etheleyne Worl's efforts to establish one. Worl even located the first collection of books, many of which were donated, in her husband's Ford dealership on main street; later the library was moved to the old firehouse on South Maybell. Sally learned much from Etheleyne's perseverance to get the library started. She noted that even though voters had earlier defeated an opportunity to fund the library by taxing themselves, Etheleyne went ahead with the project. Luvisl wrote that Sally was part of the group that formed in 1972 to address a project using nuclear stimulation to develop natural gas in the county. Known as the Wagon Wheel Information Committee (WWIC), members included local ranchers and townspeople who communicated their concerns to scientific experts and political figures. They were worried that the gas would become contaminated with radioactive particles, affecting the air, water and land of the county. While that project was never funded, "We were organized and active long after its initial mission was completed just in case something else would come up," said Sally in 2011. One of the organizations to benefit from the work of the WWIC, according to Luvisl, is Citizens United for Responsible Energy Development (C.U.R.E.D.) "This group says the gas here will be developed but it must be done responsibly so that people who live here won't be adversely affected," Sally told Luvisl. He wrote that Sally was adamant in her belief that drilling must be slowed down for air quality to improve. She also supported local efforts to require full disclosure by the energy industry of the chemicals they use in drilling and hydro-fracking. Sally helped found the Sublette County Recycling Program that is now funded by the county. She and others collected and crushed cans by driving over them with cars on cement. They finally raised enough money to buy a cardboard crusher and celebrated that accomplishment with a Champaign toast, according to a 2012 interview with Sonia O. Klein in the Wyoming Elements Magazine. A lifelong Democrat, Sally used to tell of times when only four or five people would show up for county events. Lately that has changed with many more folks involved in the party. Sally received the 2013 Kennedy Award for Outstanding Service, which is now named in her honor. Klein wrote that Sally helped develop the mosquito abatement program in Pinedale with good friend and fellow city councilwoman Burzlander. They would go around town on a tractor with Doris driving while Sally was in charge of the spray gun, once accidentally spraying Doris while they were both distracted by their conversation. Among many other causes, Sally supported prevention of Sexual Assault and Family Violence (SAVF), promoted the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, and was an early proponent of a ban on smoking in public areas. She participated in many aspects of the Rendezvous giving her friend Alice Harrower a hand whenever she could, helped with Madge Funk's Camp Fire Girls when her daughters were active, and was an avid gardener famous for her pea patch. Her passion for reading was shared with many people and she didn't hesitate to recommend a book to anyone who would listen. Casey Dean tells it best in his 2011 article in the Roundup: "She is currently reading Composing A Further Life by Mary Catherine Bateson. 'I'll be 90 in August and I think that this country and the rest of the world are in an upheaval politically, socially, geographically, environmentally, so forth. What can people like me living an extended life do to help restore a more promising future for the children of the world to stop wasting our resources on unending wars? This book at my time of life is really an important one to think about." To help younger children learn to read, Sally tutored students for seven years until the elementary school was relocated and she was no longer comfortable riding her bike to after-school sessions, wrote Dean. A thank you note from one of her students says it all: "You were a great tooter. I had a lot of fun reading with you. Now, because of you, I have more skill in reading and writing.…Middle school is fun and it's pretty easy, probably because of you. You have made my whole life easier. I hope you make other kids' lives easier. I personally think you're the best tooter ever." Outdoor Life Sally loved outdoor experiences and followed her father's advice any time she could. "No matter what the weather is, just get out in it. Dress for the weather but get out in it. If you don't…there is something wrong," she told a reporter. On her 73 birthday, Sally summited Fremont Peak with her son Steve leading the charge. Also on the trek were daughter-in-law Marilyn, granddaughters Julie, Jenny and Bonnie, the Mackey family dog, Shadow, and Sally's oldest daughter Susie. Steve told Sally that the trip was her birthday present after hearing his mom talk about the peak she saw every day from her yard; she'd always wondered what the world looked like from the top. For Sally, the trip up was a piece of cake but the descent was terrifying for her because she was afraid of heights. When Sally was 90, she won two gold medals in the Winter Senior Olympic games at White Pine having previously collected others in preceding years. Her favorite competitors were Molly, a 94-year-old woman from Colorado, along with Monte Skinner and Jim Straley. She also enjoyed many days of downhill skiing with family and friends at Surveyor Park or Sunny's (Korfanta's) Hill before it was known as White Pine. She skied the hill at Teton Village the year it opened with daughter Susie 50 years ago; they were both a bit stunned at the skill required to make it through Rendezvous Bowl but made seven trips up the tram and down the mountain that day, never bothering to stop for lunch. A 2002 article in the Roundup tells of Sally's famous trips to the back country with the Llama Ladies. This intrepid group first used llamas to pack into the mountains in 1992 using animals supplied by the Great Outdoors Shop. Over the course of nearly 15 years, including a challenging trip to the Twin Lakes, they saw much local wilderness. The first group of ladies included Agnes Kelly, Daphne Platts, Jill Tegler and Sally. Later, Mary Lynn Worl joined the group and even purchased her own llamas to support the annual treks. Their trip in 2002 saw them entering from the Gypsum Road Trailhead. "After setting up base camp, they took day hikes through high country meadows and crossed the south fork of the Gypsum Creek," wrote George Wilks. A summary of Sally's life is not complete without mentioning bicycling. In one of her many file folders (one daughter called her a hoarder…she called herself an archivist) she explains it this way as she is writing to her oldest grandchild, Megan Riske Cormier: "Bicycles have always played an important roll (intentional) in my life. When we were in fourth grade, my cousin learned to ride her new orange and black 24-incher when her brother took her up on the campus (UW) and started her down some of the slopping paths and roadways. She generously let me learn to ride on her bike and I did it by pushing off from the terrace by the sidewalk in front of her house and riding around the block." She describes the places her friends and cousins used to ride after Sally's parents gave her a 24-incher, too. "Around town, out to the farm, to the W-Hill and east of town, and on spring mornings, we met early and went riding all over campus before school started." Some rode up to the family cabins on Snowy Range. When Sally moved to Seattle in 1941, along with two friends, they decided that to help the war effort they should buy bikes so they could ride themselves to work instead of using the bus. "We had to get our bosses to sign our request to the ration board stating that we would free up essential seats on the bus." Her friends got Schwins and she bought a Columbia with coaster brakes and 3-speed Sturmey Archer gearshift. Sally lived seven miles from her office in downtown Seattle. "In the morning, I'd get on my bike and coast almost three miles to pick up Caroline and Dorothy (the two friends who also went to Anchorage with her). With the stops the bus had to make, it took us the same amount of time. On the uphill climb coming home, the bus won. On the weekends we rode all over Seattle and across the floating bridge on Lake Washington to Mercer Island and all around the island. When the trio headed to Anchorage, they shipped their trusty bikes and "rode all around the base and Elmendorf Field, into Anchorage and to Lake Spinard, sometimes accompanied by servicemen on G. I. bikes." That particular bike eventually wound up in Pinedale and "served until it was replaced in 1960 with a Schwin. She said she carried everything she could in the Schwin by balancing items on the handlebars and on the sturdy wire basket; she listed groceries including cases of oranges and apples, each grandchild until he/she grew too big, a 30-gallon garbage can, a crib mattress, card tables and a six-foot step ladder. "In the fifties and early sixties, most of the children around Pinedale, including ours, rode bikes, but only two or three adults did. Our kids used to beg me to drive the car to school 'like everybody else' when I worked there instead of making a spectacle of myself, and adults would callout from the cars as they drove by to ask if I was trying to become a kid again. "My most impressive bike accomplishment in recent years is my annual solo trip from Pinedale (elevation 7175) to Elkhart Park (elevation 9160), a trailhead to the Bridger Wilderness…a 2000 foot vertical rise in 14 miles. I always try to make the pump (riding)-push(walking) as close to my birthday as possible and this year I did it in four days after my 70th birthday." In conclusion, Karen Korfanta writes about the lady on the bike, "The spirit of Sally is and will continue to live on; we'll always admire and remember her adventurous way, her inquisitive mind, her love of making things grow and her determined but kind and caring ways. You could learn about the world over a cup of tea or a sugar snap pea with Sally." Sally is survived by daughters Susie Riske (Don), Cheyenne; Molly Olson (Ken), Pinedale and Hays, KS; daughter-in-law Marilyn (Steve), Pinedale; grandchildren Megan Riske Cormier, Ft. Collins, CO; Ingrid Olson (Jim Konczyk), Pinedale and NC; Julie Mackey, Cheyenne; Jennifer Vincent (Aaron), Riverton; Bonnie Majhanovich (Jono), Pinedale; granddaughter-in-law, Kezia Riske (Dylan), Canon City, CO; former grandson-in-law, Jason Cormier, Ft. Collins; great grandchildren, Tyler and Rayden Riske, Canon City; Reilly and Sadie Cormier, Ft. Collins; Annie, Chad, Allison, and new baby (in February) Vincent, Riverton; and many dear, dear nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by husband John in 2007, son Steve in 2011 and grandson Dylan in 2015. In memory of Sally, the family would appreciate memorials to Rendezvous Point, the Sublette County Library, the Food Basket, the Democratic Party or to charities and organizations of your choice. A Celebration of Life will be held in memory of Sally on August 10, her 95th birthday, at the Sublette County Library.