Sarah Tinsley

Sarah Tinsley went home to be with her Savior on December 24th, 2021. It is hard to capture 96 years in a few paragraphs, but throughout Sarah’s life, these words were central: faith in God, love of family and friends, honor, hard work, determination, hope, respect and charity. Yes, she was a member of the Greatest Generation.

Her life began on August 14, 1925. She was born the fourth of five children to Nena Varelle White Shacklett and Arthur Cathcart Shacklett in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She had three older brothers, John, William, Claude and later Robert entered the family. She loved them all and they adored their sister. She was raised during the Great Depression, experienced life during the Polio Epidemic and waited with their infant daughter, Nena, for her husband to return home from World War II. She knew hardship.

At Central High School, Sarah excelled in chorus and sports, especially basketball. Throughout her life, she strove to be physically active. In her freshman year at Middle Tennessee State College, she noticed a handsome young recruit attending classes. He noticed her too, which was easy since she was beautiful. At a weekly college dance, Melvin Tinsley waited until the last dance to cut in, and from that day forward they danced through life until his death in 2013. To her, he was the world, and she devoted her life to him until his last days.

Sally, as she was known, had taken secretarial courses in college and they served her well. In the early 1950’s, she worked as a secretary at the Naval Ordinance plant in Indianapolis, Indiana, when Mel used his degree in metallurgy to obtain a job at Indiana Gear Works. When Mel accepted a job at Lockheed, the family moved to Marietta, Georgia, in 1958. Sally became the office administrator and typing teacher at Pace Academy in Atlanta. The staff and student body agreed Mrs. Tinsley was irreplaceable. In the early 1970s, Sally and Mel became managers of a business, and owners of another. They were devoted to their customers and employees. Sally was the office administrator and bookkeeper for both companies and remained in those roles until she was 93 years of age.

Sally and Mel had many friends and interests. They loved to travel. They joined the Atlanta Ski Club and continued to snow ski and travel most of their active lives. They also were boating enthusiasts. In 1979, Sally and Mel joined the University Yacht Club on Lake Lanier. In the 1980s, they often boated along the Florida coast, even to the Keys. Sally was a former tennis player and liked jogging, cycling, spin and step classes well into her later years. Even in her 90s, Sally continued to be as active as she was able, and became an inspiration to many younger class members and teachers. Sally and Mel were active in the life of their church. They were founding members of John Knox Presbyterian in Marietta where Sally worked as the secretary, participated in Women’s Circle and shared her beautiful soprano voice by singing in the choir. They later attended Eastminster Presbyterian Church where Sally also joined the choir.

Sally is survived by her daughters, Nena Allen and Laura McFayden, her son-in-law, Jim McFayden, her grandson, Vince Arthur Allen, his wife, Paula Patterson Allen and great grandson, Owen Lee Elvis Allen, nieces Nancy Ammerman, Marsha Ragsdale (Tom), Judy Wells (Jim), Lesa Clarke (Jim), Gloria Christy (Thom), Linda Weimer (Jim), Sharron Pearce (David), nephew Bill Shacklett (Rita) and their families. Due to Covid, Sally’s family will hold a celebration of her life at a date chosen in the future. One of Sally and Mel’s favorite charities was The Water Project. If you feel led to make a donation, they would be grateful.