Sarah Ann Price Whitty, 87, of Morgantown, passed away at her home on Friday, August 23, after months of declining health.
Sarah was born on April 4, 1937, in Churchland, N.C., to Alma Tucker Price and Henry Price Jr.
She graduated in 1955 from A.L. Brown High School in Kannapolis, N.C. and Salem College in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1959, and spent over 30 years as a dedicated public-school teacher across several states and school districts. While raising her daughters and working full-time, she earned a master’s degree in gifted education from West Virginia University.
Sarah was married to John C. Whitty on Sept. 3, 1961, after a whirlwind courtship during which they were both performers in the outdoor drama “The Lost Colony” in Manteo, N.C. Together they raised three children, Katherine (Kitty), Susannah and Page. Sarah was a loving and loyal wife, mother, grandmother, aunt, cousin, teacher and friend to many.
Sarah is survived by Kitty Whitty, of Stone Mountain, Ga., Susannah Azzaro, of Pittsburgh, and Page Borger (Paul), of Chagrin Falls, Ohio; grandchildren, Alana and Joseph Azzaro, and John, Jacob and Jade Borger; nieces, Amy, Kathleen and Rachel; and several cousins.
Sarah was preceded in death by her husband, John; sister, Jean Price Slaughter, of Chapel Hill, N.C.; and her parents, Alma and Henry Price, of Kannapolis, N.C.
Sarah’s cousin, Anna Nease, fondly shared, “Sarah Ann, as she was known to all of us, was a cousin full of fun with many talents.” As a teenager, she twirled fire batons, played the flute in the band and was an accomplished dancer. As a young adult, Sarah aspired to a career in dance, but her parents, concerned about the limited professional opportunities for women at the time, guided her towards a more traditional career path.
Sarah became a talented and passionate educator and was a voracious reader, lover and supporter of the arts, an animal lover, skilled knitter, musician and volunteer. She was well-known for her generosity, intelligence, resilience, persistence in overcoming challenges and sharp wit.
She and John enjoyed many trips to the Crystal Coast of North Carolina together. In her retirement, she was an active volunteer as a Pathfinder at Mon Health Medical Center in Morgantown, where she formed many friendships. Sarah had an incredible capacity for bearing very challenging life situations. The final years of her life were marked with many health issues and obstacles that she was determined to find workarounds for in order to remain as independent as possible.
The family extends their deep gratitude to the compassionate and skilled caregivers who lovingly watched over Sarah, especially in the final year of her life: Amedysis Hospice, volunteers from St. Thomas à Becket, Heather and all of Sarah’s other Visiting Angels caretakers, her overnight caretakers, Billie Jo and Amy, Father Michael Delk, as well as her devoted friends Sandy and Tommie, Betty, Ginny, Carol, Jim P. and Jim A.
Cremation services have been entrusted to Hastings Funeral Home. A memorial service will be held at St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church in Morgantown at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 19. Friends are invited to visit before the service and join the family at a reception afterward. Sarah’s ashes will be interred at St. Andrews by-the-Sea Episcopal Church in Nags Head, N.C., where she and John were married.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to St. Thomas à Becket Episcopal Church in Morgantown, the ASPCA or the Roanoke Island Historical Association.
