Sondra "Sandy" Olson Callahan

Born October 2, 1938, in Pekin, Illinois, she was the only child of Tilford Andrew and Martha Conklin Olson. Sandy had a lifelong love of dogs, was an intrepid traveler, and a voracious reader. All three enriched her life exponentially!

After graduating from Pekin Community High School, she attended Rockford College (Illinois), graduating with a B.A. degree in English literature in 1960. She was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She spent her junior year studying at the University of Edinburgh (Scotland). After graduation, she enrolled in a summer course in publishing at Radcliffe College which prepared her to move to New York City where she became a publicist for children's books at The Macmillan Company, and later at Holt, Rinehart and Winston.

From 1965 to 1970, Sandy worked for the National Association of Educational Broadcasters in Washington, D.C., the forerunner of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

On February 7, 1970, Sandy married Thomas David Callahan at St. John's Episcopal Church, Georgetown Parish, in Washington. The couple began married life in Miami, Florida. For five years, she was a fund-raiser at the Miami public television station, WPBT.

For several decades, she served on the boards of the Arthritis Foundation, initially with the Southern California Chapter of Ventura County, and later at the Greater Illinois Chapter, Peoria. While living in Chicago, she trained to be a patient educator working with Northwestern University medical students on how to examine patients with arthritis. She later continued this activity at the School of Medicine at the University of Illinois, Peoria, IL.

Sandy ended her career as a free-lance journalist at the Peoria Journal Star (IL) from 1990-1998.

Sandy was confirmed in the Episcopal Church her senior year in college and was an active member all her life. She loved her church and was always grateful for its nurture and community. Because she and her husband lived in diverse areas of the country, they worshiped in many Episcopal parishes, including several historic churches -- St. Bernard de Clairvaux, No. Miami Beach, and the Church of the Ascension, Chicago. Since 2013, Sandy has been a member of Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, Raleigh, NC. She served as a Lay Eucharistic Minister and was enrolled in the Education for Ministry program through the School of Theology, the University of the South.

Through the years she served on vestry, was a member of the altar guild, wrote for the parish and diocesan newsletters, was a stewardship chairman, headed the church Angel Tree program, helped host a diocesan convention, and edited a church cookbook.

She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband, Tom Callahan, to whom she was married for 24 years before his death in 1994.

She is survived by loving cousins and many dear friends.

A memorial service will be held Wednesday, May 6th at 3pm in the auditorium at Springmoor, 1500 Sawmill Rd., Raleigh. Sandy will be laid to rest next to her late husband at All Saints Episcopal Church, Morton, IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to St. Michael's Episcopal Church (1520 Canterbury Road, Raleigh, NC 27608); or to St. Paul's Episcopal Church (343 Buena Vista, Pekin, IL 61554).

Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC, is handling the arrangements in Raleigh and Preston-Hanley Funeral Home is handling the arrangements in Pekin, IL.