Sarah "Sally" Southard

Sarah “Sally” Tingle Southard, 83, passed away peacefully on Saturday, July 8, 2023 at RiverMead Retirement Community, in Peterborough, NH. She was born in Buffalo, NY on December 26, 1939 to parents Duncan and Dorothy Tingle (Lehmann). She had one younger brother, Duncan Tingle. Sally and her family lived in Montreal for 9 years and attended Havergal College, a private boarding school.

Sally met the love of her life, James “Jim” Southard at Middlebury College and got married in Baie D’Urfe, Canada just weeks after graduation in 1961. Middlebury had significant importance to both Sally and Jim, with enduring friendships being a part of her life for over 60 years. Jim and Sally started their life together in the Boston area, with their daughter, Karen, arriving in 1963 and son, Jim Jr., in 1964. Shortly thereafter the young Southard family moved to Pittsford, NY.

Sally was ahead of her time when she put the children in daycare to pursue her Masters in Library Science. With her new degree she served as the school librarian at Darien Public School in Connecticut for over 20 years, encouraging everyone to love books as much as she did.

The family’s next stop was Weston, CT where Sally shared her fantastic cooking skills by throwing numerous dinner parties. Dinners ranged from family affairs, to gourmet meals with the “Gourmet Club” and simple dinners of Julia’s Beef Bourguignon, homemade pasta and Peasant Soup. Anyone who was invited knew they would have a wonderful time and delicious meal. She passed on her love of cooking to both Karen and Jim Jr., who have passed those skills on to their children.

Travel was another passion for Sally. Along with a number of notable family trips (Eaton Ranch in Wyoming!) she and Jim traveled on their own, traveling across the US, Europe, and Asia. Many favorite trips included excursions with Middlebury friends.

Once the children left for college, they retired and moved to New Hampshire where Sally designed a gorgeous new home in Sunapee filled with books, art and surrounded by beautiful flower gardens which she love to tend. Sally’s love of libraries took a new turn as she helped head up the fundraising efforts for a new library in Sunapee. She kept busy with skiing, golf, traveling, bridge, and her many friends. Family members loved to visit her beautiful and welcoming home. After 20 years, Sally and Jim moved to RiverMead Retirement Community in Peterborough NH, where she continued to enjoy her friends and family.

In addition to Jim, her husband of 63 years, Sally is survived by her brother Duncan Tingle and his wife Nancy, her children Karen Nevin and husband Chris Nevin and Jim Southard and his wife Kristine Southard) and her grandchildren, Aidan Nevin and his wife Hannah Shihdanian, Cameron Nevin and his partner Rebecca “Goldie” Harmon, Annie Southard and Griffin Southard and her three great-grandchildren, Bella, Jaime and Bear Nevin.

A private family service will be held at Jellison Funeral Home in Peterborough, NH. In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made in memory of Sally to the Council on Aging – Chapin Senior Center in New London, NH.