Sarah "Sally" (Parrish) Ford

Sarah "Sally" (Parrish) Ford, age 92, died peacefully in her sleep at Providence Point on October 26, 2017 after a brief illness. She was born on St Patrick’s Day 1925 in Rosslyn Farms, Pennsylvania to William and Isabel Parrish. Except for college and post-war work in Washington, Sally has always lived in Rosslyn Farms, a town which was originally laid out and built by her grandfather for the Pennsylvania Railroad. During WWII she enthusiastically threw herself into summertime broccoli picking on Cape Cod to compensate for the labor shortage. After graduating in 1947 from Smith College, her mother’s alma mater, where she had been goalie on the soccer and lacrosse teams, earning the coveted "S" pin, Sally spent the summer helping build Le Collège-Lycée Cévenol International, a private school associated with the Reformed Church of France in Le Chambon-sur-Lignon, as part of the post-war reconstruction effort. When she returned to the U.S., she was a business economist for the Bureau of Labor Statistics in Washington DC. In 1950, she married Edward C. Ford of Pittsburgh, a corporate Lawyer at J&L Steel. Sally met Ed on a blind date in Rosslyn Farms, where they eventually made their home and raised their five children. Ed passed away in 1994, and Sally continued to reside in Rosslyn Farms until 2009. Then, at the age of 85, Sally chose to move to the Providence Point retirement community in Scott Twp. Sally gave generously of her time, money and talent. She was involved in many community activities. She served as mayor of Rosslyn Farms for 18 years and on the boards of the Carlynton School District, Ohio Valley Hospital and St Margaret’s Dispensary. She also volunteered at the Carlynton elementary schools for over 13 years. She was a Cub Scout den mother and Girl Scout leader. In 2003, she received the Red Cross Outstanding Volunteer in Community Service award for her work at Carnegie Elementary School. Sally is survived by her children Bill (Judy) of Hansville WA, Debbie (Lincoln) Rathnam of Hingham, MA, Tom (Susan) of Manheim, PA, Ted (Eileen) of Mt Lebanon and Isabel of Rosslyn Farms; grandchildren Lincoln (Lindsay) Rathnam, Sarah Rathnam (Nathan Taylor), Hope (Patrick) Phelan, Tristram Ford, Savannah (Nathan) Stauffer, Tucker Ford, Julia Ford, Ted Ford and Will Ford; great grandson Peter Rathnam. She is also survived by her brother-in-law Ken Komoski and numerous nieces and nephews. Family and friends will be received on Friday, November 10, 2017, 2-4 and 6-8 p.m. at the HERSHBERGER-STOVER INC. FUNERAL HOME, 170 Noble Ave, Crafton. A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, November 11, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. at Carnegie Presbyterian Church, 219 Ewing Road, Carnegie, PA. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Andrew Carnegie Free Library, 300 Beechwood Ave, Carnegie, PA 15106 or the Rosslyn Farms Community Center, c/o Andrea Harkins, 8 Revere Road, Carnegie, PA 15106.

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