Sally Olin

1948 - 2025

Sally Agnes Olin, 77, of Stallings, NC, passed away on November 10, 2025 surrounded by her adoring family, leaving behind a boundless legacy of kindness, love, laughter, and unforgettable memories.

Born in Utica, NY, to the late Ralph and Eleanor Crandall, Sally grew up with very modest means but an abundance of spirit. Her stint as the platinum wig-donning drummer in a garage band set the right tone for a vivacious life-one lived by a woman who truly knew how to bring people together and make every day more fun. She regaled us all with incredible childhood stories from her family's camp. A blind date at a hockey game with her future husband, Don, went well-and despite her sister, Pat, warning her, "Don't marry that farmer!" they were married for 55 years.

After receiving her nursing degree from the great Mohawk Valley Community College, Sally's RN career spanned over five decades, serving countless patients in such roles as a school nurse, pediatric nurse, ER nurse, hospital nurse, and Certified Geriatric Care Manager. Through the respected senior care companies that she and her husband founded, Partners In Care of the Carolinas and Frontline GCM, she cared for her clients as if they were her own family, leading Sally to receive many honors in the community, including one of the Top 25 Women in Business by the Charlotte Business Journal, one of the region's Top 50 Most Influential Women by The Mecklenburg Times, the Better Business Bureau Consumer Foundation's Silver Torch Award, Wake Forest University's North Carolina Family Business of the Year Award, and the prestigious North Carolina New Organizational Vision Award from the State of North Carolina and The Carolinas Center for Medical Excellence.

Even in her final days, she showed love, gratefulness, and humor to everyone who cared for her; every time a nurse or doctor walked into the room, she flashed her signature smile and hearts melted.

Her superpower, though, was making wonderful memories for her family. Rarely did a gathering go by without an elaborate game orchestrated for the family to play, complete with scratch-off prizes (Sally always played the lottery). She was also the architect of Christmas mornings that grew more spectacular each year. When her budget-conscious husband tried to institute a "Stockings Only" rule to curb her enthusiastic gift-giving, Sally simply got bigger stockings-then stuffed stockings inside stockings, tied presents to stockings, and declared that anything touching a stocking counted. She always found a way.

As the official travel and party planner for both her family and "The Beautiful People"-her treasured group of friends-Sally organized trips around the world and joyous feasts where every detail was perfected and no one left without their fill of food and drink. (Sally also enjoyed the occasional Baileys, neat.) Cooking and gift-giving were her love languages, and she spoke them fluently.

Our "Mustang Sally" adored great music and loved to sing and dance. She and Don were front row center for their favorite band, the Eagles. Rod Stewart once took Sally's scarf mid-concert and strutted around the stage with it wrapped around his neck. Neil Diamond sang "Forever In Blue Jeans" directly to her. Weddings would find her dancing while lip-syncing to Alicia Keys' "Girl on Fire" and Cher's "Believe."

She was the horseshoe champion at "Reilly Roundup" family reunions, enjoyed picking horses for the Kentucky Derby (results varied), was chased by a rainstorm on water skis, and even broke her middle finger whitewater rafting with her grandson Charlie-then greeted him ever after with that finger extended and a mischievous grin, asking "How's my finger?"

Sally and Don showed up for everything their kids and grandkids were involved in. Musicals, recitals, deafening rock band gigs, basketball and softball games, karate matches, Ultimate Frisbee tournaments and well over a hundred CreativeMornings/Charlotte events. If a family member was involved, Sally was in the audience, cheering them on. She loved her five grandchildren-Charlie, El, Tessa, Graham, and Mirabelle-to no end, never tiring of telling anyone who would listen how beautiful, smart, and talented they were.

She loved collecting art, particularly Geoffrey Johnson's work, and never hesitated to revisit the movie Seabiscuit, a Brian Regan stand-up routine, The Kennedy Center Honors, or "Motown 25: Yesterday, Today, Forever." Her stories from brushes with the occasional psychic or medium captivated all. She seized life with an infectious enthusiasm that drew everyone in. Plus, her hilarious malapropisms were legendary.

Sally is survived by her beloved husband, Donald Olin; her twin sons Mike Olin and wife Dana, Matt Olin and wife Sarah, and daughter Jen Olin Lafontaine and husband Kevin; her five cherished grandchildren; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Ralph and Alison Crandall, and Ty and Julie Crandall; and many other family members and friends who will miss her profoundly, some of whom said Sally and Don were like second parents to them. She was preceded in death by her parents and dearly loved angel sister, Patricia Crandall.

A devout follower of Jesus, Sally lived by one simple philosophy: "Be kind. It's really not that hard." And indeed, she made it look easy.

The family thanks the staffs of Carepoint, Caregiving Corner, and VIA Health Partners for the kind and compassionate care that they provided for Sally in her final days.

Sally was a long-time member of St. Gabriel Catholic Church (3016 Providence Rd), which will host a visitation (10:00 a.m.), eulogies (10:45 a.m.) and funeral mass (11:00 a.m.) on November 18, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, please consider purchasing a "Be Kind" t-shirt (https://tinyurl.com/BeKind-SallyOlin) and all proceeds will be donated to pancreatic cancer research and support.