Sally Isidra Pearson went to be with her Lord on January 10, 2014, at the age of 97. She was born in Salamanca, Spain, and immigrated to the United States at the age of five. She attended schools in Antioch, California. After legal secretarial training in Oakland, she worked at a law firm in the Bay Area until her marriage to Osborne Pearson in 1942.
Over the next 38 years, she lived in Washington, D.C. and in various cities of the Bay Area. Northern California politics brought her husband to Washington in the late 1940s to serve as a junior member of Truman’s cabinet. While living in Washington, she met many well–known people from the Truman Administration. She dined at the White House many times, had tea with Eleanor Roosevelt, and met with Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, the first woman ever to be appointed to the U.S. Cabinet. She lived in Washington at an interesting time: she heard Winston Churchill address the U.S. Congress and was in the audience when Gen. Douglas MacArthur gave his memorable speech saying “Old soldiers never die; they just fade away.”
Although she later said she was too young and inexperienced to realize that people didn’t do their own cooking for dinner parties in Washington, she enchanted her husband’s colleagues—members of Cabinet and other officers of the Truman administration by doing all the cooking herself. Often she would be thanked by someone saying “There’s nothing like a beautiful home- cooked meal.”
Even though she often had the responsibility to serve as a hostess, some of her experiences were intimidating. One day, while her husband was ill and hospitalized at Walter Reed Medical Center, President Truman decided to pay a visit. While Secret Service were clearing the halls for the President’s arrival, she ran into the bathroom and hid, to avoid meeting the President that day.
While her life was interesting, she felt her true calling was to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Therefore she moved to Turlock in 1980 to be closer to the family. She spent her time playing with the grandchildren, cooking for them, and loving them with all her heart. They, in turn, loved and enjoyed her.
Sally leaves behind her daughter, Andrea “Andee” Swanson (Rick); daughter-in-law Donna Roche; grandchildren Robin Custer (Ed), Wendy Hornsby (David), Matthew Swanson (Maria), Mark Swanson, and Michael Swanson (Ansley); 19 great grandchildren and several great- great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her husband Osborne Pearson, Brother Larry Morales, son Edward Roche, grandsons Daniel Roche and Larry Roche.
Memorial services will be held on Monday, January 20, 11:00 A.M. at Turlock Covenant Church, 316 S. Laurel Street, Turlock, 95380, with interment to follow at Turlock Memorial Park. Memorial contributions may be made to Jessica’s House 741 E Main Street Turlock, CA 95380 or Turlock Covenant Church.