Sally A. Eggleston, 92, of Cedar Rapids made her transition, surrounded by loved ones, on June 12, 2025.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Thursday, June 26, 2025.
Unity Center of Cedar Rapids, 3971 Blairs Ferry Rd. NE
9 am Visitation
11 am Service
Reception to follow
Private Inurnment at Cedar Memorial Park Cemetery.
Sally was born on September 20, 1932, in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the daughter of William and Genevieve (Robertson) Carringer. For many years, Sally lived with her grandparents, Elizabeth and Noel Robertson. She was a 1950 graduate from Franklin High School and a 1954 graduate in Speech and Drama from Coe College. In 1970, she went back to Coe to obtain her teaching certification. In her teen years, she was the “story lady” for the city playgrounds and was the choir director for Cedar Christian Church. During her first college stint, she worked in admissions at St. Luke's Hospital and sang at weddings. She was an active member of Alpha Gamma Delta Sorority and maintained those friendships throughout her life.
She married Verne Eggleston in 1952 and raised three children, later divorcing in 1978.
Sally and Verne were very active in the community theater where Sally played the lead in many plays both in college and in the local theater. The stage was where Sally was at home, this began at a young age when at age five she was chosen to be Little Miss Dexter Washing Machine with a sash across her bathing suit, and then at age 7 she could be heard singing “My Gal Sal” at the tavern her mom and stepdad owned and the customers would applaud and give her dimes. Thus began her love of the spotlight!
Sally began her long and successful career in 1954, first with WMT Radio where she had her own show and worked in accounting and wrote commercials, and then in 1959 on KCRG TV where she was the Public Relations Director and then hosted the Sally Evans’ Charm and Home Hour. Apparently, the name Eggleston was too difficult. In 1964 she assisted in starting a new radio station, KHAK, and also did commercials for KOEL. She did many interviews and loved to tell the story of how she got to interview President Nixon and Ronald Reagan before he was president and other famous people.
In 1958, Sally first became a charter member of the Cedar Rhapsody Chorus and on the second night of rehearsal when the director didn’t show up, she became the director and continued in that role for 42 years, taking the chorus to 9 international competitions as the first-place regional medalists. It was her good friend, Len Bjella, the director of the men’s Harmony Hawks Chorus, that recommended her for that role. When word got out that Sally had retired from directing in 2001, she was sought after by several smaller choruses in Muscatine, then Mason City, and Cedar Falls, who needed a director. In her 70’s and into her early 80’s, she traveled to these cities and back for their weekly rehearsals, performances, and shows.
Sweet Adelines International not only provided Sally with a “hobby” but also a career as the Director of Organizational Activities (later Education Director). She worked from home for the organization whose international headquarters is in Tulsa, OK but as part of this role, she traveled the country extensively to plan and put on International Conventions for thousands of women singing in regional championship barbershop choruses and quartets. She was proud to have her own chorus, Cedar Rhapsody, place third in the first chorus competition in Washington DC in 1973. Prior to that year, competitions were only for quartets. For years at the International Conventions & Competitions, Sally would direct the “mass sing”, where thousands of women from all over the world would join together in singing songs in four-part harmony barbershop style. At one mass sing, the weather was cloudy and stormy, but right at the time of gathering, the clouds parted, and the sun came out. Sally always said that God approved of Sweet Adelines! In 1977, her chorus competed on stage at Royal Albert Hall at the international competition she managed in London, England, and attended by over 5000 women. Her other favorite famous stage was Carnegie Hall in 1990.
In addition to working for the organization, Sally was among the first women to join the judging program, originally certified in the categories of Sound, Music and Expression, then focused as a Sound judge for over 50 years - she once had a count of how many competitions she had judged, chorus shows she had produced and directed, music schools she taught at, and choruses and quartets she coached. Her teaching was as a member of the faculty of Sweet Adelines, where she was often in high demand due to her engaging teaching style and humorous antics. One of her many proud accomplishments was helping to start Sweet Adeline chapters (choruses) in England and Sweden, though she did go on to travel to do music schools in Canada, Scotland, Holland, Australia, and New Zealand as well. In 1991, her chorus was the first to win the Harmony Achievement Award in San Antonio, and in 2006, Sally was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award from Sweet Adelines International. Retiring from judging, teaching, and coaching was very hard for Sally, but most of all, she missed creating beautiful harmony as a chorus director. She truly felt the music, and it was her life.
Her final career, after a short stint in real estate, kicked off as the Assistant VP and Education Director at Banks of Iowa Computer Services, setting up their education department for computer training. Her gift of teaching and creating curriculum and classes in music, communications, and leadership in her previous jobs led her to begin her own consulting work in Management Development & Communications for many types of companies, from banks to school districts, nonprofits, and other businesses. She created and presented workshops and classes on behavior profiles, communication styles, effective listening, leadership, conflict management, and many other topics. Prior to starting her own consulting business, she would teach public speaking and communication skills to students at Corrine Shover Modeling Agency and Carlson College of Massage Therapy.
Beyond her many professional and volunteer roles, awards, and accomplishments, Sally will be remembered for her wit, humor, sense of timing, and love of telling a good story, which usually focused on some type of funny mishap such as rushing out on stage in her costume with a bra hooked onto the outside of her costume. She loved to laugh and make others laugh and would even fall on the floor to make that happen. Everywhere she went, she made friends and had quite a collection of folks that she kept in contact with over the years, and who would share with her, through cards and calls, what an impact she had on their lives. She was loved by so many. Every year, Sally would write a family Christmas letter and clever poems for her chorus parties. She was a gifted writer and in her later years, wanted to write a book about her life (which this obit is starting to become!).
Sally was a strong and independent woman who showed incredible resilience at every challenge in life. As the only child of an only child, she cared for her mother, grandmother, cousin, great uncles, and good friend during and at the end of their lives. She welcomed her son's friends into her home when they needed a place to stay, and was the kind of person who felt sorry for a pair of shoes left out in the rain. Her most difficult life challenge, beyond her health struggles, was the loss of her son by a hit and run drunk driver in 2000 at the young age of 37. This experience caused her to start a local MADD chapter and serve on the Victims Rights Advisory Board and speak to offenders in prisons, those on probation for OWI, and teenagers obtaining their license. She bonded with many other families who lost their family members tragically and, for several years, helped organize the Victims' Rights Events each April.
Originally raising her family as members of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Sally became involved in spiritual studies outside the church and helped start the Institute of Man, and since 1989 has been a faithful member of Unity Center of Cedar Rapids where she served as treasurer, secretary, president and over the years filled in for the minister by giving the Sunday talk.
Other hobbies and associations include serving for many years as a member of the American Society of Training and Development and, in her retirement, reviving her love of bowling. Supporting Paula's work and chorus events, attending her grandkids and great-grandkids' activities, and family celebrations were highlights of her later years. She loved sharing cards, photos, and memories with anyone who would take the time. And those of us who did are grateful for that.
Preceding Sally in death are her mother, Genevieve (Jan) Jacoby, father, Bill Carringer, stepfathers, Bill Krumholz and Paul Jacoby, grandmother, “Mommy” Robertson, grandfather, Noel Robertson, many great uncles and aunts, and her beloved son, Jeffrey David Eggleston.
She is survived by her daughters, Elizabeth (Micheal) Jansen of Driftwood, TX, and Paula Land (grand dog, Popper and friend, JR), and Paula’s children, Marie (Bryan) Pettit of Marion, Megan Stillmunkes of Cedar Rapids, Morgan (Cera) Land of Boulder, CO. Great grandchildren, Jack and Lu Stillmunkes, and Leona and Vivian Pettit. She was also loved by her eleven nieces and nephews of the Byrne’s families - and other family, Kurtis Stillmunkes, Dana Land, Jeanne Bjornson and special friends too numerous to mention, however, special appreciation to Sue Heald who visited her regularly at home, then Ridgeview and Meadowview. Special thanks go to the caring staff at Ridgeview and Meadowview, who did their best to help sassy Sally be safe, loved, and cared for.
Memorial Contributions can be made to Unity Center of Cedar Rapids or Sweet Adelines International in Sally’s name.