Sarah "Sally" (Schroeder) Stephenson

Sarah (Sally) Schroeder Stephenson, a 50-year resident of Oak Hill, Virginia died on May 12, 2022 in Herndon, VA

Early History
Sally was born on April 2, 1943 in York, Pennsylvania to Earl and Mildred Schroeder.  During her early childhood she lived in East York, then briefly in Merion Park and Hellam, Pennsylvania before finally coming back to East York on N. Rockburn St, just a few doors from her future husband, David R. Stephenson.  Sally got high marks in school, graduated near the top of her high school class and made Dean’s List at Bucknell University.  She also showed early artistic ability and was an accomplished pianist through her high school days. She married David R. Stephenson, and as newlyweds they lived in Blacksburg and Richmond, Virginia before returning to York.  From there they moved to Waynesboro, Pennsylvania and finally settled in Reston, Virginia.  Along the way, they had two children, Wendy and David IV.  Sally approached raising her children with the same gusto she put into every other part of her life.  No task was too daunting for her to take on.  She was no-nonsense and set the same high expectations for them as she set for herself. 

Professional History
When Sally returned to work, she started as a clerk typist at a real estate agency in Falls Church before moving to Computer Sciences Corp, where her husband also worked.  Their careers overlapped briefly, but Sally stayed at CSC for 37 years, moving rapidly through the ranks as an administrative assistant. The company soon discovered that she was very capable and could do a broad range of projects. She was aggressive, focused, and resourceful.  She founded the Secretary’s Association, which later became the Association of Administrative Professionals, and was president of the organization for 25 years.  When she retired, she was on the staff of CSC’s corporate CIO.

Personal Info
In her private life, Sally maintained her high activity level and was always engaged in decorating the house, making her own drapes, gardening (the tulips and daffodils in the yard were legendary in the spring), and expanding her collections of figurines and artwork.  She excelled at painting, knitting and sewing, and shared her creativity with her four grandsons.  No holiday or special occasion went by without a personalized craft for each.  She was an inventive cook and would frequently improvise, yet the results were always good.  She enjoyed attending local theater, musicals and concerts.

Retirement
When Sally retired in 2010, she left the corporate world behind, and turned her talents to painting, jewelry making and photography.  She turned out hundreds of original paintings and did paint-by-numbers occasionally when she wanted to paint but didn’t feel particularly creative.  She took thousands of photos of flowers, butterflies, birds landscapes, anything imaginable, and would improvise paintings from them.  Her life was one of  constant drive and achievement.  Sally always expected a lot of herself and she delivered.  She never wasted a minute.
Surviving Family
Sally was preceded in death by her parents. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children, Wendy (Moore) of Fairfax Virginia and David IV of Summerville,  South Carolina. She is also survived by her four grandsons: Matthew and Christopher Moore,  and David V and Andrew Stephenson. 

A memorial celebration will be scheduled at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Garth Newel Music Center, P.O. Box 240, Warm Springs, VA 24484, or on their website at http://www.garthnewel.org

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