Sarah Whitney Megonigal

Sarah (Sally) Whitney Megonigal (nee White) passed away on December 12, 2025 at the UM Capital Region Medical Center after a short neurological illness which may have been meningitis, a series of strokes or a combination of both. She was 82 years old.

Sally is survived by her sons Joel (Jay) and Russell, her daughter-in-law Lauren and her grandchildren Carter and Lila.

Sally was born on September 4, 1943 to her father Nathaniel White (age 37) and Phyllis Moore Whitney (age 33) in Washington D.C.

Both the White and Whitney families were among the earliest settlers to the United States. Nathaniel was a 10th generation American where his ancestor Thomas immigrated from Fidleford England to Massachusetts in the 1620s. Phyllis was also a 10th generation American. Her ancestor John Whitney was born in Westminster England in July of 1592 an immigrated to Watertown Massachusetts also in the first half of the 1600s.

When Sally was 7 (in 1951), she moved to Switzerland for some time so her father could do work in Europe with the US Army. This started a love for international travel and she was able to visit a good variety of countries later in life both with her family and husband. While in Europe, her Mother felt a calling to adopt a German orphan from the war and Sally gained a sister named Katy, whom she came to love very much.

Besides this time abroad, Sally lived in Silver Spring Maryland at 922 Heron Dr from her birth until college. After spending one unhappy semester in Louisburg college in North Carolina, she attended the University of Maryland in College Park where she earned a degree in Sociology. She met her future husband Joel during a party in front of Montgomery Hall. As legend has it, they met in a bush because Joel was too nervous to talk to her. Her roommate Joyce was there when it happened and Sally would go on to count Joyce as the best friend in her life, spanning more than 60 years.

Sally and Joel had a loving marriage. They were married on August 20, 1966 and they remained committed to each other until Joel's passing from dementia on August 12, 2021, 55 years later. Sally remained devoted and committed to caring for Joel, even when it became extremely difficult.

Sally worked as a librarian from 1965 until her first son was born, where she helped to provide a down payment on a house she and Joel purchased in 1972 (for $27,000!) at 5524 Cordona St. in Lanham. She would go on to live there for the next 53 years.

After raising Jay and Russell through elementary school, Sally began working 3 days a week at the University of Maryland in the Physics Department thanks to a referral from her long time friend Kathy Hunt. She continued working from the fall of 1985 all the way up to December of 2025, a total of 40 years.

Sally had a variety of passions in life, starting with dancing when she was young. Her dancing career didn't last very long because of a uncooperative knee. Her next love was singing and she sung in a variety of singing groups and chorales up until her hearing diminished. She similarly sang in the church choir at Lanham United Methodist Church for many decades and she even enlisted Joel and Jay to fill in the tenor section. She also edited the church outlook for many years back in the days where clip art was literally clipped using scissors and tape.

She had a real passion for reading and would often have a pile of books next to her. She loved mysteries and all things British but would be happy to read almost anything. She was a talented writer and helped her sons to also become competent writers, through many red line edits in high school and college. She also helped improve the writing of the Physicists she worked with (and especially when English was not their first language).

She was also a lifelong cat lover and had quite a few cats over the years. These included Domino (a black cat with white paws), Tuptim, a bluepoint Siamese Cat (named after a character in 'The King and I'), Simon, Sylvie, Katrina (who showed up on the back patio during Hurricane Katrina) (Katrina loved to rub herself against Joel's beard), Annie, Sammy and finally Misty. Misty is a very sweet and loving cat and is now living with Jay who was in between cats himself.

Sally also had a passion with sewing and specifically cross stitch. She was always working on a project and produced many dozens of works that decorate the walls of her home and the homes of others.

One of Sally's favorite places outside of her home was the Outer Banks in North Carolina. She would go for 2 week vacations there as a kid, staying in rustic cottages. She continued the tradition with her own family every 3 or 4 years as Jay and Russell grew up. Lauren had her first visit to the Outer Bank while pregnant with Carter and this started a new tradition where they visited almost every year all the way up to 2025. Her grandchildren got to know her and love her through these trips (plus Holidays in most cases). She loved this place so much that she wanted her ashes to be spread there and this wish will be honored.

Sally was a special person. She was a devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother and grandmother. She was the lived embodiment of 1 Corinthians - she was patient, she was kind, she was not easily angered, she was never self-seeking, she rejoiced in the truth. She WAS love.

We know that Sally was welcomed into heaven with open arms where she is with her parents, her sister, her husband (with no more dementia), plus all her family and friends that have already crossed over. She touched many people through her lifetime and the karma of her love with be reverberating around the earth and heaven for many years to come.