Sarah “Sally” Ann Bailey Houck, 79, died Tuesday, September 20 after a sudden illness. She demonstrated per characteristic resilience and love for life and family throughout her final days, and she was blessed to be surrounded by her closest family during her final days and moments.

Sally was born to Irma and Richard Bailey in New Haven, Connecticut on April 6, 1937. After her days at the Day School in New Haven, she eventually became a proud Seahawk, graduating from Wagner College with a degree in sociology in 1959. In 1962, while attending a community theater party, she met Fred Honnold Houck who would become her dedicated and loving husband on April 27, 1963. Together, they raised their three children, first in Marblehead, MA and Hamden, CT, and then later in Amherst, MA where they settled and built a farmhouse in the woods. Through it all, she was a devoted teacher, sharing her love of water as a swim instructor for young children in the community. 

For over 25 years, Sally and her family spent parts of their summers enjoying the quiet coves, islands and loons of Squam Lake. Despite years of physical challenges, Sally always maintained a positive and resilient attitude on life, and she cherished her time at Squam while also traveling extensively with Fred, exploring the mountains, national parks, railways, and roads of every corner of the United States and many of those in Canada as well. When she wasn’t raising her children, traveling the country, or listening to loon-song on quiet summer nights, Sally lost herself in an endless stream of books and stories, and she frequently dreamed about and recalled her youthful days at her family’s cottage on the shore in Mansfield Grove, CT. She enjoyed sharing all of these memories and more with her closest friends during her regular visits to Kelly’s Restaurant.

More than anything, Sally loved her family. A devoted wife, mother, and grandmother to five, not to mention a daughter, sister, and aunt, Sally found no greater joy than celebrating holidays, reveling in music, and hearing about the diverse lives and adventures of her loved ones. Even through her hard times, her family, old and young, provided her with purpose, strength, energy, and happiness, and she ended her life surrounded by those who loved her most.

Sally is survived by her husband of 53 years, Fred Honnold Houck; sister, Brooks McDermott; daughter Charlotte Mullen, her husband Robert Mullen, and grandchildren Robert and Sarah; son David Houck, his children Enders and Katherine, and their mother Mary-Kate Johnson; son Brent Freedland, his wife Abby Perkiss, and their daughter Zoe; niece and nephews Megan, Matthew, and Michael; and many more family members and friends from Connecticut to Georgia and from Washington D.C. to California.

Family and friends are invited to attend and share stories celebrating Sally’s life at a ceremony of remembrance to be held on September 24 at Douglass Funeral Service, 87 North Pleasant Street, Amherst MA, 01002. The ceremony will begin at 10:00 AM, and the family asks that you arrive shortly before. Private burial will immediately follow the service.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to VNA Hospice at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, 30 Locust St, Northampton, 01060.