Sally Kay O'Meara

Sally K. O’Meara, 89, passed away peacefully on January 6, 2026, in New Bern, North Carolina. Sally was born on August 26, 1936, to Louise H. Shaver and Daniel K. Shaver in the small town of Albia, Iowa, where she grew up with her older sister, Harriett. She attended Iowa State Teachers College and was an elementary school teacher in Council Bluffs, Iowa, where she met her husband, Patrick B. O’Meara (Col. USA Ret.). They embarked on world-wide adventures over seventeen duty stations from Alaska to Germany and many states in between (some states more than once) over his 35 year career.

Along their journeys they obtained four priceless souvenirs from Texas, Alaska, Colorado and Georgia (Karen, Mike, Janet and Lynn Ryan). Later, they further obtained two bonus souvenirs from the state of Florida, (grands Katie and Chris). The duty stations of an Artillery Officer are perhaps the least glamorous that exist but Sally was a professional Army wife who was sure to transform each and every bland government quarters into a warm home for four rowdy children. She was also a single mother through his numerous deployments to Vietnam, Korea, War College and months away at the field range shooting the big guns.

Sally was not afraid to break ranks and the normal conventions of an officer’s wife. She scoffed at the etiquette manuals that educated young military wives how to behave at tea parties and to be certain to sneeze in the appropriation direction of the lower ranking officer’s wife. Nor was Sally unafraid to dance on tables with Flag Officers and even once shared a cigar during a formal dinner with the U.S. Army Chief of Staff. Her actions endeared her to all whom she encountered.

Sally was known for her quirky sense of humor, her absolute love of life and her ability to sing off key. Most of all, Sally loved to dance. Her home was always filled with chaos, neighborhood kids, and Kellogg’s Pop Tarts.

The early 1970’s saw the German economy recover following WWII. The German people would discard their priceless antique furniture on the streets of local towns and villages in exchange for the sleek styled Scandinavian look. Sally would organize the Army wives to load up their big American station wagons in the dark of night to sort through the wealth of flotsam and jetsam courtesy of the local inhabitants. Stories abound of Sally’s exploits in the dark of night in dirty blue jeans with a flashlight, much to Pat’s horror and the children’s delight. Her family will soon commence battle for those priceless antiques.

On a scarier note, there were serious risks during that period where her children and home were threatened by terrorists from the Bader Meinhof Gang to the point that Army field phones were kept in the house in case the phone lines were severed. In early 1960’s Alaska, she learned how to survive earthquakes and nuclear blasts and how to feed her family in the devastating aftermath.

To support her growing family, Sally proudly worked for the Defense Nuclear Agency during the Cold War for some of the most preeminent nuclear physicists of the day. While stationed at Fort Riley, Sally continued her education obtaining her Masters Degree at Kansas State University where, upon their return to Washington D.C., she taught Special Education at Fairfax County School System until her retirement.

Sally was an avid volunteer and served as one of the first female board representatives to the Army Community Services (ACS), a support organization benefiting Army families, where she fiercely supported military enlisted wives. She recently celebrated her 70th anniversary as a member of the PEO Sisterhood, a nonprofit organization that supports women’s educational opportunities and life goals.

Following her husband’s death, she traveled extensively to the four corners of the globe with her youngest, Lynn Ryan (a Delta flight attendant), from the Pyramids of Cheops to Red Square. Sally referred to herself as Sally O and she loved, loved, loved her kids and her grandchildren.

Sally is preceded in death by her beloved parents, Karl and Louise Shaver, sister, Harriet, her husband, Pat, and her youngest daughter, Lynn Ryan. She leaves behind her daughters Karen (her husband Jerry) and Janet; and son Michael (his wife Wendy) and their two children, Katherine and Christopher (his wife Carolyn); along with Jacquie and Pete Petersen (sister-in-law and brother-in-law) and multiple nieces and nephews (Petersen and Mabon families).

Sally was a proud Amy wife who loved her country unapologetically and will rest aside her beloved husband in Arlington Cemetery. She may (or may not) have been related to George Washington, Mark Twain, Queen Elizabeth II, Amelia Earhart and Nathaniel Greene.

A celebration of her life and burial will be held in Arlington National Cemetery later this Spring. Dates and times will be announced later. Donations in lieu of flowers are encouraged to be provided to the PEO Sisterhood Chapter J at: https://www.peointernational.org/educational-support/peo-foundation/#how-to-donate