Sally Ann Bires-Abeyta was born December 22, 1936, in Washington, DC to William J. and Bertha B. Bires. She passed away peacefully in Ogden, Utah on January 7, 2026.
Sally grew up in the beautiful state of Montana and was raised by her loving mother Bertha, and her two older brothers, Harold and Bill. They lived out in the country where she loved being in the mountains and near the rivers.
Shortly after graduating from Butte High School (1954), she moved to Salt Lake City to study dance at the University of Utah. It is there where Sally met Harry. He truly was the love of her life, and Harry felt the same for her. They got married in July 1956. Shortly thereafter they began their family together when Kent was born. They were blessed with three more sons over the next few years, Billy, Gary, and Danny.
While busy having and raising four energetic boys and being a good wife to her husband, Sally earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education. She taught school for a few years in Magna, UT but decided to go in a different direction and follow her strong passion for books and reading. She went back to school and earned a master’s degree from Brigham Young University in Library Science. She spent the next several years working at various libraries throughout the Salt Lake County Library System. She loved being around all those wonderful books and working with the wonderful group of people she encountered along the way and enjoyed serving the library patrons.
While living and raising her family in Salt Lake City, one of Sally’s favorite things to do was attend dance performances by Ballet West. It was something her husband wasn’t nuts about, but it made her happy and she was blessed with a supportive and loving husband in Harry. She looked forward each year to a new season of dance performances.
Another one of Sally’s happiest places on earth was at the beach. She found strength and peace there. So, a few years after the boys were out and off on their own, she and Harry moved to the northwest, and the little town of Clatskanie, Oregon, so that she could be close to the ocean. She became the town librarian in Clatskanie for a few years, and she and Harry started a new chapter of life together, near the water. She loved everything the ocean offered, but mostly just being out there hearing, smelling, and feeling the power of the ocean waves. Her family loved coming out for visits to their home and taking day trips out to the ocean.
Sally is preceded in death by her loving husband Harry. She is survived by her four sons: Kent (Cynthia), Bill (Daijiro), Gary, and Danny (Stephanie); grandchildren, Shawn, Brooklyn, Brayden, and Isabelle; and one great-grandson, Ace.
A graveside service will be held at the Valley View Cemetery in Sunnyside, Utah on Saturday, January 17, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of Sally online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net