Sally French

Sarah Louise French, known by her friends as Sally, died Monday, Dec. 9, peacefully at home in Minneapolis surrounded by the grandchildren she loved.

Sally was born to Arthur and Helen Winter in Sioux Falls, SD, on April 16, 1932. Early in her childhood the family moved to Vermillion, SD, where she graduated from the University of South Dakota in 1953. She married Rodney Miles French in 1955 in Germany during Rodney's service in the U.S. Army. They were married for 56 years before Rodney's death in 2011.

A lifelong educator and writer, Sally began her career-long relationship with the Minneapolis Public Schools as a communications specialist for Southeast Alternatives, developer of the magnet-school model used to enable desegregation in Minneapolis and across the country. In the 1980s she served as public information director under MPS Superintendent Richard Green during an era of profound transformation. Sally pioneered a public-relations strategy that won the hearts of Minneapolitans. Instead of waiting for bad news to surface, she visited every school looking for good news.

In the 1990s Sally served as administrator of arts education at Minneapolis South High School, introducing hundreds of youth to the world-changing power of art. She later helped lead the Arts for Academic Achievement initiative, which took arts education citywide.

Sally will be remembered as a community gatherer who opened her beautiful home for scores of literary salons and concerts, arts education workshops, sports team dinners, and international guests over the decades. She gave of her time and talents to a vast array of organizations - including the Minneapolis Arts Commission, the Coffee House Press, Rain Taxi, the Guthrie Theater, Southeast Seniors, and the Givens Foundation for African American Literature. A passionate lover of life and insistent rejoicer, she gave her radiant smile and relentless love to everyone who crossed her threshold.

Sally is survived by children Sarah Richard, Edie French (Paul Auguston), Arthur French (Kyoko), and Ellen French, all of NE Mpls, as well as ten grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister Mary Winter Torrance of Tucson, AZ, and by many nieces and nephews.

A celebration of life for Sally will be held at 11 AM on Sat., Jan. 18 at University Lutheran Church of Hope, 601 13th Ave SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414. Visitation with the family will start at 10:00 AM. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.youtube.com/@ulch. Interment at Fort Snelling in the spring.

Memorials in Sally's honor may be made to the Guthrie Education Program, the Capri Theater, and the Black Storytellers Alliance.