Sally Ann Leahy

Even the strongest of us must eventually pass from the scene. So did Sally Leahy, who died of natural causes on Jan. 13, 2026 at the age of 84. While names and dates are essential items to include in an obituary, they tell only the smallest part of the story…and that’s especially true for Sally, who led the very richest of lives.

She was born and raised in Kansas, but never really had much good to say about the place, such as the wind being too cold in the winter or the wind blew all the time, etc. Yet it is where she met the love of her life and husband of almost 61 years, Richard Leahy. Together, they forged a life in Kansas with the goal of something better for Norman, their son, and Tina, their daughter. Sally had once lived and worked on the Western Slope of Colorado, where, in her spare time, she dabbled in supplying thirsty workers in a dry Utah county with refreshment (and that’s as much as we can say about that). From there, she knew that Colorado would become her home, forever.

Sally and her family settled in the Denver suburbs, where the roads were still unpaved and trees and grass were found only in magazines. Sally adapted to this new life and new location eagerly, and excelled professionally as a bookkeeper for a number of local firms. She was more than a wage-earner, however, and her every working day really didn’t end until the family was fed, the dishes and clothes were washed, and everyone was put to bed. It was a life of constant activity, unswerving duty, and unstinting love.

In her own life, Sally was a consummate horsewoman (western saddle only, please), a crack shot with rifle and pistol, and avid collector of Western and Southwestern art. She was also a tireless traveler — though by car or motorcoach, since she really didn't like flying. Sally also loved animals of all sorts, especially dogs which she and her husband rescued from local animal shelters.

No remembrance of Sally would be complete without mentioning how she fought and defeated cancer on two separate occasions. She insisted that cancer would not get the best of her — and it didn’t. We will not pretend, because she never did, that it was easy or that it did not exact a toll on her body. However, those struggles revealed that she had a spirit that was as indomitable as it was generous. Sally devoted long hours supporting and encouraging others battling cancer.

And that, ultimately, is the challenge she leaves to us: to be bigger than ourselves and to see beyond the moment. Once we’ve achieved that, we can live fully, with no apologies, in the face of anything.