Sally Anne Hooker

Sally passed on peacefully November 19th, 2014 at home surrounded by family after a courageous two-year battle with stage IV pancreatic cancer. The third of four Seubert daughters, Sally was born June 27th, 1947 in Cottonwood, ID to Almira Primus Seubert and John W. Seubert. Sally attended St. Joseph’s Elementary School and graduated from St. Gertrude’s Academy in Cottonwood in 1965. Following high school, she attended the University of Idaho, Moscow.

She married Larry Hooker June 5th, 1967 at St. Mary Catholic Church in Cottonwood the day following his graduation and commissioning in the United States Navy. As Sally followed Larry through his active duty tour with the U. S. Navy, his return to the U of I for graduate school and his subsequent transfers as he began his career with the Soil Conservation Service, she worked at several jobs as secretary/bookkeeper as well as raising their growing family and managing their home. In 1977, after moving to Walla Walla, she worked in the lab at St. Mary Medical Center and later worked for Davis Sameh Meeker Laboratory. Eventually, Sally applied and was selected for the Division II Secretary for Arts & Humanities at Whitman College where she continued working for 28 years until her retirement as Assistant to the Provost and Dean of Faculty. In 2002, Whitman College presented Sally with the prestigious Janice Abraham Award for Significant Contributions and Outstanding Service.

Even with the demands of working full time, Sally enjoyed hosting family gatherings and preparing large dinners for family and friends and was famous for her homemade cinnamon rolls, cream puffs and pies. She often referred to herself as a “farm girl” and loved to spend time visiting her folks at their ranch in Cottonwood or escape for “quiet time” to the family cabin on the Selway River in Northern Idaho.
While her children were attending Assumption and DeSales, Sally rarely missed their academic or sporting events. In later years, she continued attending the games and school activities of her grandchildren. Sally also found time to serve on the Walla Walla Catholic School Board and chaired or co-chaired many of the school’s fund raising efforts and was a member of Assumption Church Women. In 1992, DeSales High School selected Sally to receive the Father Norman Triesh Award for outstanding support for the school system.

Sally is survived by Larry, her loving and devoted husband of 47 years, and their three children, daughters Terri (Jonathan) Nickens of Walla Walla and Sandra (Todd) Kimball of Walla Walla, and son Michael (Michelle) Hooker of Seattle, WA. She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Erica, Jennifer, and Travis Wilbur and Scott and Shea Kimball, one great grandchild, Almira “Ali” Chandler, her three sisters, Sharon (Ed) Anderson of Walla Walla, Diane (John) James of Spokane, WA and Patricia Seubert (Brad Thomas) of Boise, ID, her mother Almira Seubert of Walla Walla, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. Sally was preceded in death by her father.

The Rosary will be held at 6:00 p.m. Friday, Nov. 28th, 2014 at the Herring Groseclose Funeral Home with Father David Gaines officiating. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, Nov. 29th, 2014 at 10:00 a.m. at Assumption Catholic Church, Walla Walla, WA with Father David Gaines, Celebrant and Father Jeff Core, Concelebrant. Interment will follow at Mountain View Cemetery. Memorial contributions may be made to Walla Walla Catholic Schools or St. Mary Regional Cancer Center through the funeral home.