Obituary: Fahland, Sally
At age 4, the family moved to Great Falls, MT, where Sally went to grade school, junior high and high school.
While in high school, she received high honors and would receive the inspiration to one day become a business teacher.
Upon graduation, she went to the University of Montana for two years joining the Alpha Phi sorority and again received high honors.
She moved to California where she met and married Jim Gotsch, a serviceman.
They moved to South Carolina where they had two children, David and Ellen.
She moved back to Montana, finished her Bachelor of Arts Degree in teaching at the College of Great Falls, and later met and married Al Young.
They had two children, Court and Lisa.
Al had three children from a previous marriage, Sue, Linda, and Steve.
She then obtained a teaching position at Great Falls High School and earned her Master’s Degree in Business Education.
She later married Felix Fahland, moved to Libby, MT, and worked as an accountant for Felix’s concrete and building supply business.
They were soul mates.
A year after his death, she moved to Spokane, WA, to be close to her daughter, Lisa, where they enjoyed shopping, eating out, and a lot of family time.
She spent the last few years with Jim Lindemann, who was a great and loving companion.
Her daughter, Ellen, moved in with her the last year and gave her loving care throughout her illness.
She died due to complications of diabetes.
She was surrounded by her loving family at the time of her death.
She was heard to say many times that God’s greatest gifts to her were her children and that she learned more from them than they learned from her.
She was an avid bridge player and traveled to tournaments all over including such places as Reno, Hawaii, Alaska, Canada, and Tennessee.
She was Big Sky Champion for more than 10 straight years.
At the time of her death, she had garnered more than 8000 points, the most for Spokane women.
Those who knew and loved Sally would describe her as a beautiful woman with a strong sense of dress and who had an aura of peacefulness that brought comfort to those around.
Her sense of humor and love of laughter were infectious.
Her friendships were important to her and she loved to entertain; she was an excellent cook and could often be found poring through cookbooks to find the perfect recipes.
She also enjoyed golfing, traveling, and attending musical theater.
She is survived by her children and her sister, Shirley Ryan of Great Falls, MT.
Thank you to Gentiva Hospice for their incredible support.
A celebration of her life will be held on Monday, June 2, 2014 at 3:30pm at Thornhill Valley Chapel, 1400 S. Pines Road, Spokane Valley, WA 99206.