In Memory

Sallee Geisel (Storz) - Class Of 1952

Sallee Geisel (Storz)

On March 2, 2013, Sallee Storz departed, most unexpectedly and much too soon, from Peninsula Hospital in Burlingame after being admitted with respiratory difficulties.  Born in Los Angeles on November 30, 1935, Sally McClarty Geisel was the daughter of Charles and Dorothy Neef Geisel.

Sallee and her older sister, Gayle (SPHS '49) grew up in San Marino and attended South Pasadena High School.  After graduating in 1952, Sallee attended Cal Berkeley and became a member of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.  She completed her undergraduate studies and earned a Master's degree in Renaissance Literature at Arizona State University where she later taught English.  While at Berkeley, Sallee met Forrest (Fori) Storz.  They married and she followed her Air Force fighter pilot husband from base to base, finding herself living in out of the way places like Great Falls, Montana and Malden, Missouri.  Along the way they made many good friends with whom they remained in touch throughout the years.  In 1987 Sallee and Fori settled in Half Moon Bay to enjoy a slower paced life with friends, neighbors, and each other until Fori passed away in 2012.

The English language played an important part in Salle's life.  She taught English literature at Arizona State University, loved to read and devoured stacks of books - mystery novels being the mainstay of her literary diet.  This provided her with a stellar vocabulary which enabled her to navigate the most challenging crossword puzzles with relative ease.  An art lover, Sallee looked forward to visiting San Francisco art museums to see the latest exhibits.

Sallee kept up with the "Kindergarten Club" - a group of girlfriends who had attended kindergarten together in San Marino - journeying to Southern California to meet over iced tea and catch up on current events.  Sallee always had room for new folks, too.  Because she was interested in others, she made friends everywhere she went.  She hated slow drivers - her car carried a license plate holder warning "I'm not driving fast, I'm just flying low."  The warning was in fact true as Sallee did have a pilot's license.

As for matters more mundane, tapioca pudding, chocolate ice cream, and Kentucky bourbon (not all at the same sitting) were among her favorite comestibles.  "A place for everything and everything in its place", her housekeeping philosophy, was evidenced by tightly packed, but highly organized, closets and cupboards.  If one removed an item from its place, one was expected to return it to the exact spot from which it came.  No exceptions.

Sallee will be fiercely missed by the family she leaves behind:  sons Michael Storz, Duane Clements, and Jeffrey Storz; daughter Ann Marie Price; seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

San Francisco Chronicle, March 10, 2013