Sally A Engel

SALLY ANN ENGEL, (nee Albrecht), passed away peacefully on January 10, 2025, less than two weeks before her 100th birthday.
Sally was born in Detroit, Michigan to Herman and Esther Albrecht. She had a younger brother John. Sally graduated from Detroit's Eastern High School and attended the University of Michigan earning a degree in education. At U of M Sally was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority.
Sally met her husband and life partner, Robert C. Engel, at the University of Michigan and they married in 1948. Sally and Bob raised four children: Art, Nancy, Chuck, and Larry in Beverly Hills, Michigan. Sally was a devoted wife and mother, making sure everyone participated in enriching activities: clubs, lessons, summer camp, travel and, all-important, time with friends.
As the family grew up Sally and Bob built a ski 'cabin' at Nub's Nob up north and purchased a 42-foot sailboat they kept at the Detroit Yacht Club. These provided a venue for family fun both winter and summer. Sally was never a great skier but she was an equal partner on the sailboat, becoming a skilled helmsperson and excelling at weather forecasting.
Sally had a knack for making and keeping friends. She also had a sense of adventure. In high school, Sally and pals would take the streetcar to Belle Isle for the day with a picnic plus Victrola and records; and after college she and a friend drove Route 66 all the way to California and back.
Sally loved to have friends over. She and Bob belonged to two potluck bridge groups that gathered monthly for decades. Later they hosted friends at the cabin up north and cruising Lake Huron on the sailboat. Eventually they joined the Nomads, a Detroit-based travel club and traveled around the US, Europe, and the Caribbean.
Sally and Bob were loving grandparents. They traveled regularly to the West Coast to visit with Larry's family including grandkids Clayton, Erica and Brent; and Chuck's large adopted family including grandkids, great-grandkids and great-great-grandkids.
When Sally's granddaughter was studying at university in northern England, Sally and Nancy traveled to join Erica (three generations of Engel women) to visit England's fabled Lake District together. Spending time with family and friends was Sally's greatest joy, whether it was playing cards, sharing a meal or traveling to new places.
Sally will be remembered for her laughter, warmth, wit, and her enduring friendships. Until the end she met each day with a sense of fun and adventure. Sally's memory will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.