Sally Moe

When reflecting on the life of Sally Moe, words such as caring, honest, and loving come to mind, however, the word that may best describe her was selfless. She had a special way of making everyone she met feel uplifted and inspired. Sally did love being a mother, but she just might have argued that being a grandmother was her sweetest reward. A longtime resident of the community she loved, Sally was a stranger to none and a friend to all. There is no doubt that she will be deeply missed by her many special friends and family.

The 1940s were characterized by WWII. In the year Sally was born, the Pentagon, considered to be the world’s largest office building was completed as well as the Thomas Jefferson Memorial in D.C. Due to shortages, America experienced its first rationing of canned meats, butter, cheese, and cooking oil. Copper was also short that year and had to be made from steel. On February 15, 1943, Richard and Eve (Roskamp) Bolt welcomed home their newborn daughter in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Born the youngest of four children, Sally’s birth brought great joy and happiness to her loving parents.

Growing up on the southeast side of Grand Rapids, Sally lived a typical childhood of the times. Her father worked as a sales representative for different companies as well as a woodworker and craftsman later in his life. While Sally was still young, her father’s extra work as a lay pastor led him and her mother to start a small church out in the Lowell area Their ministry grew in popularity to the point where they helped construct the church building. The family would head out there every Saturday and Sunday to work on building the church in addition to holding Sunday morning services. Once that small church was established and had called a full-time pastor, the family attended Calvary Church and remained active in their faith throughout their childrearing years. Although the children were not accustomed to watching movies, they were considered taboo, they did own a black and white television by the time Sally was ten years old. Sally’s love for rollerskating led her to the meeting of her future husband, Thomas Moe, at a Youth For Christ skating party. She attended Oakdale Christian school through junior high. Graduating with the Class of 1960 from Ottawa Hills High School, where she played the flute, Sally set off to make her dreams a reality.

She and Tom joined in marriage on May 3, 1963, at the Calvary Church Chapel and tent camped in the Kalkaska area for their honeymoon. They settled into an apartment off of Plainfield Avenue. Tom worked hard pouring concrete and Sally worked as a secretary saving their resources to purchase their first home at 1016 Arlington NE. Together they raised three wonderful children; Tom, Tammie, and Teri Sue. Sally and Tom instilled in their children a strong work ethic from a young age. The children sold produce in the neighborhood that they received from a local farmer in town known as, “Big Red.” At times nearly forty-fifty bushels of melons a week, plum tomatoes, corn, as well as cucumbers. Most of the time the kids used their profits to purchase bikes or care for their rabbits who were accustomed to eating leftover pizza and cake! They had several rabbits growing up; Peter, Snowball, Skamper, and Midnight to name a few. They often took turns taking them for rides in the stroller around the yard and neighborhood.

As a mother, Sally was nurturing however Tom (Jr.) remembers that whenever she used his full name, Thomas Allen, he knew he was in trouble! As a family, they shared many happy memories. They often visited the Silver Lake Sand Dunes with their home-built dune buggies. “Budget Breaker” and “Snoopy”, an old retired Mac Woods dune buggy, were two of their very special ones. Many of these special times were shared with their Berean Baptist Church friends and were almost always spent with Uncle Rich and Aunt Joan and cousins Jennifer, Lisa and Ricky! Enjoying the outdoors so much, the family purchased a cabin in the Dublin area by 1975. Nearly every chance they had, they packed up and headed north to ride their quad runners, motorcycles, and snowmobiles. They even took their all-terrain vehicles as far north as Copper Harbor in Michigan’s beautiful Upper Peninsula. Each of the kids fondly remembers learning how to drive a stick shift on the 1968 Volkswagon or the green Chevy truck. Their childhood was filled many bonding moments like these including their special Sunday dinners after church at the Sweden House.

Sally lived her life to the fullest. She held many special interests over the years. In addition to her love of cooking and baking, she also loved to decorate her home each and every holiday. Sally loved to treat her company to special party favors and never missed an opportunity to set the table with special plates for the holiday season. Her delicious Banket, made with almond paste, and her homemade chocolate fudge were known to be mouth-watering and made any guest asking for more! When it came to Christmas and Easter, her two favorite times of the year, Sally outdid herself with generous gifts and overflowing baskets! Nothing brought her heart greater joy than knowing she had pleased each and every family member with a surprise or a treat of some sort! They often rang in the New Year at the family cabin over the years sharing time snowmobiling and making lasting memories. Sally’s favorite pastimes were ceramics, making crafts, and gardening. Later in life, she caught the scrapbooking craze and enjoyed countless hours capturing the memories of days gone by. She also scrapbooked her many vacations over the years to Hawaii, England, Mexico, as well as a memorable time touring the popular Magnolia Farms in Waco, Texas with her daughters and granddaughters.

Sally’s last five years or so were affected by a recovery from a serious heart attack. As a result of several procedures, she required dialysis to keep herself strong. After each Friday dialysis appointment, she stopped for an ice cream cone and Chinese food in Newaygo for her dinner on their way to her “happy place,” the cabin in Irons! Sally fought hard to survive long enough to attend her grandchild’s recent high school graduation and share in the Open House celebration. Described as a lover of all people who had a heart of gold, Sally leaves behind a rich legacy of loving others unconditionally. Each time her family gathers together may they share a special memory and whenever they are exploring the wonders of nature may they feel her loving presence.

Sally M. Moe aged 76, of Belmont, Michigan passed away on June 1, 2019. She was preceded in death by her sister, Dolores. Sally is survived by Tom, her husband of 56 years; children, Thomas Moe, Tammie (Greg) George and Teri VanTongeren; and grandchildren, Madison, Mitchell, Macey, and Emma. Also, surviving are her siblings, Richard (Joan) Bolt and Jane (Tim) Gildner; sisters-in-law, Judy Strickler, and Mary Smith; several nieces and nephews; and many friends. Sally loved her kids and grandkids well and enjoyed being an integral part of their lives. The funeral service will be held at 11 AM on Friday, June 7, 2019, at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home, 1833 Plainfield Ave NE. Visitation will take place from 10 AM until the time of the service. Contributions in her memory may be made to Spectrum Health Hospice. Please visit www.heritagelifestory to submit a favorite memory, photo, or to sign the guestbook online.