Sally Kaye Arthur
Sally Kaye Arthur was born in
Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 7, 1937, the daughter of Vernon R. McMillan and
Laverne K. McMillan (née Knight). She passed away on June 18, 2015, at the
Hospice Home of Hope.
Sally was a loving wife,
mother, artist, adventurer, writer, and free spirit. After her mother was
killed in a tragic car accident shortly after she was born, young Sally and her
sister Martha were raised by her father, Vernon, at his farm in Terre Haute. A
colorful entrepreneur and innovator with a gregarious personality, Sally’s
father set a powerful example. As a child, Sally saw her father grow a
prominent sporting goods store, McMillan Sports, and become mayor of Terre
Haute from 1942 to 1947. Sally’s childhood and teenage years were filled with
amazing adventures and hilarious stories, which she later retold with great
joy.
Fundamental among those
adventures were annual summer trips to McMillan Island in Temagami, Ontario,
Canada. The family island was a very special place for Sally, giving her
countless places to explore and enjoy the vast, unspoiled beauty of Lake
Temagami. These experiences were essential in forming her lifetime love of
travel and her passion to create and try new things.
Sally earned a B.S. in
English from Purdue University (1959), and was a member of the Alpha Chi
chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. Her father then treated Sally and her sister,
Martha, to a trip around the world by steamship, with stops including Hawaii,
Japan, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Brazil, and Trinidad. Back in the United
States, Sally traveled to her first job with the National Security Agency in
Washington, D.C., as a translator and analyst.
After several years, Sally
returned to Terre Haute, and in March, 1965, she married Robert (Bob) Milton
Arthur, then a professor at Rose Polytechnic Institute (now the Rose-Hulman
Institute of Technology). Shortly thereafter, they had a son, Robert McMillan
Arthur.
In 1972, Sally and Bob moved
their young family back to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, his hometown, so that they
could start a new career as entrepreneurs. Eventually Sally became a
vice-president in that business, Arthur Technology, Inc., a consulting,
research & development, testing, and training firm specializing in the
wastewater treatment industry. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Sally and Bob would
travel the United States and Canada with their young son, holding countless
seminars to promote their growing company and together experiencing almost all
of the states and provinces.
For many enjoyable years,
they lived at a home on Lake Winnebago in the town of Taycheedah. In 1996,
Sally and Bob moved to their dream home high atop the Ledge overlooking the
city, surrounded by acres of woods, flowers, and wildlife. All the while, Sally
continued her passion to create and try new things, including: raising a pet
goat, Chester; planting and running a successful asparagus farm; and expressing
her artistic nature in painting, ceramics, and stained glass. Sally’s life was
an endless opportunity to grow and explore, and her only limitation was her
imagination.
Sally is survived by her son,
Robert McMillan Arthur of Fond du Lac; a brother-in-law, Robert Lindner of
Fallbrook, CA; and two sisters-in-law, Mary Arthur of Fond du Lac and Marion
Seibel of Fond du Lac. Many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends further
survive her.
Her husband, Robert (Bob)
Milton Arthur; her parents; her sister, Martha A. Lindner of Fallbrook, CA; and
two brothers-in-law, James (Jim) Arthur and John Seibel, preceded her in death.
A memorial service will be
held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2015, at Mach Funeral Chapel &
Crematory, 31 East Division Street, Fond du Lac, with Rev. Bill Beaton officiating.
The family will greet
relatives and friends on Thursday at Mach Funeral Chapel & Crematory from 4:00
p.m. until the time of service.
Inurnment will be in Rienzi
Cemetery.
Memorials may be directed to
Salem United Methodist Church.
Mach Funeral Chapel &
Crematory is serving the family, www.machfuneralchapel.com.