Sally (Soltania) Tsingou Peavy

Sally was 97 years young - What a blessing! She had a long, full, and important personal and professional life. She had many virtues but none greater than when she made the decision to take in three orphans from Greece and set out along with Brad, to give them a stable, safe, and loving home. From that nurturing nest, she raised them to make the most of the opportunities and experiences that she placed at their feet. She did so with unwavering drive because she had experienced coming to America as a poor immigrant child and knew how hard she had worked to conquer every obstacle placed on her path to success. She did not want her children to have to experience the same struggles. She worked hard for them, to provide for an easier and more joyful journey pursuing their own personal dreams.

Sally’s courage and fortitude became her children’s strength. It is a deep debt that we, her children, can never fully repay, but she would not have wanted that anyway. Instead, she would hope and pray for them to pay it forward. We hope we can honor her memory in this way.

Sally was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in 1927 to Thomas and Anastasia (Koutsoyianni) Tsingou.

She, along with her only sister Mary, and their family travelled back and forth from Bulgaria and Wisconsin, until the family settled permanently in Milwaukee in 1940. This marked the last time they would see their beloved extended family for +50 years.

She attended University of Wisconsin in Madison, where she earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics and Statistical Engineering, graduating cum laude in both programs.

Sally accepted a position with the National Bureau of Standards (NBS) in Washington, DC in 1951, ($3,415 annual salary!) where she met the love of her life, Bradley Adelbert Peavy from San Pedro, California. Excited to begin their lives together, Sally and Brad were married July 24,1957. They bought their ‘forever’ home in Bethesda, MD, never to look back. They began to build their family by adopting three children; Then, they embarked on a journey to build their ‘Church’ family.

When the opportunity to establish a new suburban Greek Orthodox Community in Bethesda arose, they committed to the journey of faith and love, along with a small group of others to ‘Charter’ and ‘Found’ the St. George Greek Orthodox Church. Those families banded together and became the extended family Mom sought to create the memories of her childhood for her children. She (and Brad) were active and dedicated members of the parish. She held positions on Philoptohos council and enjoyed choir, teaching Sunday school, 50+ club, bible study and book club and never missed manning the cash register at the many festivals and bake sales held through the years. She was renowned for her mass production of Tsoureki that fueled the many philanthropic endeavors of the community.

Sally has been a resident of Bethesda for +68 years while working at NBS for +35 years officially and continued until full retirement in 1993. She is an accomplished professional, with numerous publications, accolades, and recognitions, professionally and in her private life.

She loved travelling with Brad, always looking to be in the sunshine, and especially relaxing by the water on the beach. She was fortunate to have travelled the world! She always stayed busy knitting Afghan blankets for her children and completing multiple needle-point projects to commemorate her grandchildren’s milestones. She was especially fond of all her Grand-’pups,’ who loved her right back.

Sally is predeceased by her husband, Bradley A. Peavy, and survived by her children: Thomas Bradley Peavy, Mary Anastasia (Peavy) O’Hara, and Renee Stephanie (Peavy) Schrider; She was mother-in-law to Dennis J. O’Hara and George H. Schrider, Grandmother (Nana) to Katrina Ferrino (Michael), Yianni O’Hara (Jes), Peter O’Hara (Laura), Dianna O’Hara; Great-Grandmother to Emilia, Adrian, Callan and Mason. Sally is also survived by her sister Mary Tsingou Menzel, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Friends and Family are invited to visitation/ viewing at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 7701 Bradley Blvd., Bethesda, MD beginning 10am on 28-Feb-2025. Funeral service will begin at 11am followed by a burial at Gate of Heaven in Silver Spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to St. Basil Academy in Garrison, NY [https://sbagoa.org], or Greek Orthodox Church of St. George in Bethesda, MD [https://stgeorge.org]. Funeral arrangements are being handled through Joseph Gawler’s Sons, LLC, 5130 Wisconsin Ave, NW, Washington, DC; https://dignitymemorial.com.

The three things she was most proud of was her marriage, her children, and her contribution to the establishment of the St George Church community. We, her family, are immensely proud of her. She will be missed. May her memory be Eternal.