Sarah Wheelock Binckley

She was born October 20, 1929 at Riverside Community Hospital in Riverside. The daughter of Dudley Brooks Wheelock and Estelle Virgina Beiter of Riverside, she attended Riverside Poly High School and graduated in 1947. She then attended Riverside City (Community) College where earlier in her life, at age 8, she had proudly announced the new football field in honor of her grandfather, Arthur Newhall Wheelock (first superintendent of schools for Riverside County) to be named “Wheelock Field.” During her time at RCC, she also worked as a telephone operator, a job which she just loved.

While at the beach with a friend, Sally met the love of her life, Basil C. Binckley, who couldn’t resist her radiant smile and quick wit. They married in 1952 at St. Francis Catholic Church in Riverside, then settled into a small rental and started a family. Sally became a housewife and mother of 8 children, not an easy job, yet she was very involved with her church and children’s schools. She volunteered as eucharistic minister and helped at the school library. Throughout her life, she enjoyed snow-skiing, family camping trips, knitting, sewing, cross-stitch, swimming, and was an avid reader and great bowler, as well as secretary of many of her bowling leagues. Sally was great at art and enjoyed cooking; she loved her own cooking! Very traditional southern meat and potatoes type of cooking. She and Basil spent most of their retirement traveling by car, boat or air to many wonderful destinations and visiting relatives and friends. She also loved spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Sally is preceded in death by her parents, Dudley and Estelle Wheelock; step-mother, Gladys (Deedie) Wheelock; sister and brother-in-law, Virginia and Jack Turner; and loving husband of 73 years, Basil C. Binckley. She is survived by her sons, Michael and Charles; daughters and son-in-laws, Marilyn and Mark (Crain), Anne and Cliff (Seratte), Carol and James (Hogerty), Jean and Glenn (Angenent), Martha and Steve (Mann), and Cecilia and Alan (Neal); also, 12 grandchildren, 2 step-grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren, and 3 step-great-grandchildren; brother-in-law, William Binckley and sister-in-law, Theresa Byrne; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Services for Sally will be held Wednesday, June 24, 2026 at St. Thomas Apostolic Catholic Church in Riverside, CA with a rosary at 10:30am followed by mass at 11:00am and reception immediately following. A private burial will be the following day at Olivewood Cemetery.