Mary Catherine James

Mary Catherine “Sally” (Burke) James, 85, passed peacefully to her eternal home on Tuesday, April 2, 2024, at Sodalis Stone Oak in San Antonio, where she resided for the last two years of her life. Originally from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Sally was born on December 22, 1938, to Catherine Louise (Youngworth) and Michael Bernard Burke. After tragically losing her father when she was only three years old, Sally and her siblings, Richard and Barbara, were raised at Holy Family Institute in Pittsburgh, while her mother continued to be a consistent, loving presence in their lives.

Sally graduated from Cathedral High School in 1956, and soon after married the love of her life, Ronald Thomas, her beloved husband of 58 years. She became the loving mother to Thomas (Becky), Kathleen Hartle (Cliff), and Ronald Matthew (Teri). Sally is survived by her three children, seven grandchildren, four great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews. Sally dedicated her work life helping others in administrative roles, working for Household Finance for more than 30 years, and after her retirement, helping to manage offices at Pittsburgh Limousine Company and Pittsburgh Technical Institute. Sally was a lifelong Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates fan and lived life with kindness and generosity, donating her time during retirement to volunteer at a soup kitchen and the STEM office of the Carnegie Science Center, alongside her dear husband, Ron. Sally was a woman of great faith and knew Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She was very active in her churches in Pittsburgh, Epiphany Episcopal and Church of the Ascension. During her recent years in San Antonio, she continued to find great joy in worship, singing hymns, and Bible readings.

Our family is grateful to the staffs and caregivers from Hope Hospice, Sodalis Stone Oak, and Canyons Stone Oak who loved and cared for sweet, feisty Miss Sally during these last years of her life here with us. A memorial service will be held locally at St. Paul Lutheran Church, Bulverde, Texas, on Saturday, April 13, 2024, at noon. A service will also be held at Church of the Ascension, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, May 11, 2024, at 2:00 PM, where she will have her final resting place with her beloved husband, Ronald Thomas.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests contributions to Hope Hospice of the Hill Country, Bulverde, Texas, hopehospice.net, in Sally’s memory.

I heard the voice of Jesus say,“Come unto me and rest;And in your weariness lay downYour head upon my breast.”I came to Jesus as I was,So weary, worn and sad;I found in him a resting place,And he has made me glad.~ Horatius Bonar