85, passed away peacefully after a lengthy illness on January 3rd.
Born in Philadelphia on March 19, 1938, Sally was the eldest daughter of the late Rev. Dr. Frederick W. Blatz of Hastings-on-Hudson, NY, and Janet Mitchell Cox Blatz of Scottsville, NY. She is survived by her loving husband of 63 years, George Franklin Wilkins, Jr. of Sherborn, MA, her daughters Anne Mitchell Wilkins (Michael Case) of Norwalk, CT, Susan Franklin Wilkins (Andrew Ferren) of Westwood, MA, and Carolyn Holton Wilkins (Michael Farber) of Concord, MA. She was the beloved grandmother to four now-adult grandkids, and the oldest sister of Susan Lewis Blatz of Scottsville, NY, and Frederick W. Blatz III (Beverly F. Blatz) of Sudbury, MA.
Sally grew up in Philadelphia and later New Jersey, an independent young lady with a love of music and playing piano, but remained focused on academics in order to attend Wellesley College (‘59), majoring in economics. In addition to meeting the love of her life, George (Harvard College ‘59), and making lifelong friends, the all-female school inspired a life of leadership and empowering women to accomplish great things.
Married in 1960, Sally & George (stationed with the U.S. Army) moved to Kaiserslautern, Germany and started their family. They returned to the States in 1963, ultimately settling in Sherborn for more than 50 years. While raising her three girls and working in marketing during the day, Sally was among the few women who earned her MBA from Babson College in 1980, taking classes at night. She later transitioned to the investment advisory field, earned her CFP designation and built her business (in Sherborn) over the next 30 years, specializing in retirement and strategic financial planning and wealth management.
Sally served on the Sherborn Library Board of Trustees and later the Finance Committee. She performed with the Sherborn Music Makers and continued studying classical music throughout her life. She was a talented knitter, certified in scuba, and became a pilates devotee. She and her family enjoyed a second home in Plymouth, VT, enjoying the beautiful mountain setting she loved. Her wonderful sense of humor, kindness and zest for life are warmly remembered by all.
A funeral service will be held at the John Everett & Sons Funeral Home, 4 Park St., Natick Common on Saturday, February 3, 2024, at 11:00 am. Visiting hours will be held from 10 to 11 am. Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend. The interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any donations be made in Sally’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org.
For directions and online guestbook, friends are invited to visit http://everettfuneral.com.