Sarah Jean "Sally" Hooks-Berryman

Sarah "Sally" Jean Hooks-Berryman departed from us this past week to be with her Lord in Heaven, joining her beloved mother, father, and brother Eddie who passed before her. She is survived by her daughter, Johanna Marie Berryman-Treviño, and five siblings; Dan, Beth, Susan, Paul, and Janet, as well as numerous extended family members and friends.
Sally was born in Stuttgart, AR, the youngest of seven children to Edward Daniel Hooks and Rosemary Katherine Basler Hooks. Growing up on a family rice farm in Slovak, she had a sassy, inquisitive disposition from an early age, and loved making people laugh. She attended Hazen Public Schools, graduating from Hazen High in 1982.
Her college years at UALR were busily spent alongside her Pi Phi sisters and Pike brothers. Her highlights from this time included her roles as a Pike Little Sis, Pi Kappa Alpha Dream Girl, Rush Chairman, Vice President of Moral Advancement for Pi Beta Phi, and photographer for the "The Forum" newspaper. With the help of many mentors and friends she graduated with a B.S. in Community Health Education in 1987.
She continued her education at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, graduating in 1989 with an M.S. in Health Sciences. She went on to work as a public health educator in a variety of roles as well as an Emergency Medical Technician. Seeking a career change she returned to school and received a B.S. of Nursing at the U of A in 1997 thereafter working as an RN for the rest of her career; she touched numerous lives taking care of patients in the ER, at urgent cares and in school offices, and performing nursing home inspections for the state of Arkansas. Always curious, she pursued another graduate degree and received her Masters of Science of Nursing in 2014 from Benedictine University. For Sarah, healthcare was more than just a way to pay the bills, it was her calling.
Despite her professional success, there was never any doubt that her proudest accomplishment was raising her daughter Johanna into the most dynamic young woman. Whether it be running the Girl Scout troop, proudly taking on the role of "Irish dance mom," or teaching Jo to water ski, Sarah passed on her passion for life to the next generation. She looked forward to becoming a grandmother, proudly telling anyone and everyone she came in contact with that her daughter was soon going to have her first child, Sarah's first grandchild.
Sarah, though, was never one to be solely defined by work or motherhood. She was anything but one-dimensional. She could bake you a cake, play a tune on the fiddle, pour a strong drink, and tell you the funniest story you've ever heard all in the same evening. She was a cardshark, a DIY queen, an avid Razorback fan, the hostess with the mostest, Donny Osmond's #1 fan, and a Lake Girl through and through. She was strong in her Catholic faith, and did whatever she could to exemplify the meaning of, "Love your neighbor." She never ever met a stranger. So absolutely brimming with interests, hobbies, projects, and ideas, Sarah went out with her boots on.
In 2022, she finally moved to Heber Springs, AR where she spent her retirement remodeling her home overlooking Sugarloaf Mountain, sitting on the porch solving all the world's problems with her family and neighbors, and lounging out on the lake with whoever would join her. Though she battled breast cancer for four years, in the end she passed peacefully, surrounded by family in prayer. She loved and was loved by all who knew her, and though she may be gone, she is not far from our hearts and minds.
A celebration of life and funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, October 24, 2025 at 11:00 AM at St. Albert Catholic Church at 21 Park Rd, Heber Springs, AR 72543. A rosary will be said prior to the service at 10:30 AM.
Memorial donations in Sarah's name may be made to Hope Cancer Resources or St. Joseph Catholic Church Building Fund, Fayetteville, AR.