Sallie Westbrook Messina

Sallie Westbrook Messina, age 90, passed away February 11, 2023, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s. A 57-year resident of Jacksonville Beach, FL, she was a devoted wife and mother and accomplished writer, pianist and traveler.

Sallie was born August 13, 1932, in Athens, GA. She was a feature writer and editor of the school newspaper at Athens High School before majoring in journalism at the University of Georgia (UGA), where she graduated summa cum laude. While there, she was a writer and editor for the university’s newspaper, The Red and Black, as well as an active member of the Pi Beta Phi sorority.

Sallie met her future husband, Carl Messina, at UGA, and they were married in Athens on June 26, 1953. Her proudest achievement was raising her five daughters. Throughout her life, Sallie loved to travel, whether by car, boat, or plane. Many days were spent on the road traveling to visit friends and family. She was an avid UGA and Jaguars football fan, never met a stranger, and loved a party.

Sallie was an active member of the Saint Andrew’s Society of Jacksonville, the Northeast Florida Highland Games Committee and Clan MacNachtan. She enjoyed hosting the MacNachtan clan tent and attending the Scottish Games in Jacksonville and throughout the United States, and was a loyal follower of Seven Nations, a Celtic rock band. Later in life she became interested in family genealogy and after extensive travel and research, she wrote a two-volume family history. She held various offices in both the Jean Ribault Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the Mattie T. Wright Chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy.

Sallie is predeceased by her husband Carl and survived by her five daughters: Rachel (Robert) Kinicki of Alexandria, VA, Linda Messina of Oxford, NC, Kathy (Scott) Hippensteel of Gurnee, IL, Lori (James) Dillon of Jacksonville, FL, Sallie (Kenan) Shaffer of Herndon, VA, as well as by her grandchildren: Daniel and Sarah Kinicki, Brittany Monreal, Ashley Snowberger, Dominick Dillon, and Bailey and Brent Shaffer.

Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, February 18, 2023, in First Presbyterian Church of Athens.

Sallie will be greatly missed, and her family and friends lives will not be the same without her. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Sallie’s memory to River Garden Hebrew Home, 11401 Old St. Augustine Road, Jacksonville, FL 32258, www.rivergarden.org.

Bernstein Funeral Home is in charge of local arrangements.