Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Farewell to Sally Ormsby a Great Lady


Eileen Nelson has a lovely and sad guest post up at Not Larry Sabato about the passing of long time Democratic activist and member of the Soil and Water Conservation Board, Sally Ormsby. In addition to her service on the Soil and Water Conservation Board, Sally was an elder in the Providence Presbytarian Church and 2006 recipient of the Citizen of the Year Award from the Fairfax County Federation of Citizen Associations.

Whenever I attended any Democratic event, Sally was always there, always serving in some capacity. She was involved in efforts to make her community and all of Fairfax County a better place for all residents regardless of political affiliation. Here's an excerpt from Eileen's post:
Sally Ormsby understood that to get things done, you get involved. She served her neighborhood, her church, her party, and her community. Look at the list of attendees at any Mantua HOA meeting and she was there (and probably taking minutes). Providence Presbyterian Church elected her as an elder. FCDC relied on her leadership as the Price Precinct Captain for more years than anyone can remember. And, we have all been well-represented by her service on the Soil and Water Conservation Board and the Providence Council.

Sally hosted more meetings and parties at her home than most people running for office ever think about throwing. If you have ever addressed envelops at a democratic mailing, Sally was probably at the next table. She was always one of the last to leave, because she wanted to make sure the job was done.

She coaxed us into making phone calls on Election Day, signed us up to work on Back-to-School Nights, and turned us into Poll Watchers.

She made the best lemon squares.

She was a really nice lady.
Yes, she was a really nice lady. And tonight, my thoughts and prayers are with her family. May she rest in peace and hear the words "Well done faithful servant."

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I posted at Not Larry Sabato as well. I appreciated Sally Ormsby. She was a great community activist. Her politics did not match my politics in many, many ways, but I really had respect for her.

She used to help people write proper resolutions for a citizens group we served on and was very helpful when citizens asked her about issues like how development might change water flow. Didn't matter if she agreed with the resolution or what the citizens wanted to say or not, she'd give you her opinion.

I admired her for being a conservationist. There are not enough conservationists. Now there is one fewer of us.
:-(

Rest in peace, Sally, and eternal memory to you.

Karen Duncan said...

Thank you for your lovely comments about Sally. I too think she was a great lady, dedicated conservationist, and a genuinely helpful and loving human being. She will be greatly missed by the many people whose lives she touched. And the whole community of Fairfax County and beyond will miss the benefits that she brought with her dedicated volunteer efforts for so many years.

I saw your comments on NLS. Thank you for coming here and sharing them.

Karen