Sarah M. (Cunningham) Gay passed away peacefully in her sleep on December 15, 2014. She died from complications of a serious fall months ago in her home. Born in Sardis, Mississippi on October 28, 1942, she was affectionately known to friends and family as "Sally" until she entered the professional world. Sarah grew up in United Methodist parsonages, as her parents, The Rev. Jeff and Lorinne Cunningham, moved from Sardis to other towns in North Mississippi and eventually to a church in Memphis, TN, where Sarah graduated from Central High School. After attending Millsaps College in Jackson, MS., for one year, she returned to Memphis, graduating from Rhodes College, where she majored in Spanish, the beginning of a lifelong appreciation and love for the language and its native speakers.
Sarah and her husband, Robert Gay, who had been friends since high school days, moved to Portland, Oregon in 1972. During her years in Portland, she took part in local opera productions and was a choir soloist, also receiving a master's degree in public administration. In 1996 Sarah moved to Tucson and became active in the small community where she made her new home as a member of Tucson-Mexico Sister Cities and sang in the Southern Arizona Symphony Chorus.
Sarah taught ESL at Pima Community College and, through the University of Arizona, traveled to Nogales, Mexico to teach students there. She was passionate about teaching English as a doorway for her students to explore new worlds of possibility. In recent months she was a volunteer with the children of migrants who came in large numbers across the border for a better life. A woman of wide interests and many talents, Sarah was an imaginative lover of art and was happiest when creating her own designs of beauty. One of her retablos is now on display at Holy Cross Hospital in Nogales, Mexico. Sarah converted to Catholicism after her move to Tucson and was cantor at St. Catherine’s Chapel in St. Mary's Hospital. She had a deep compassion for all God's people, especially those who were outsiders and needed an advocate. Although she faced hard challenges in her life, she kept her sense of joy and adventure. She eagerly looked forward to her journey to the eternal home of Love, as she'd been a lover all her life.
Sarah is survived by her daughter, Margo Duncan (Neal) of Mineola, TX and her son Tony Gay (Amanda) of Warren, OR; two sisters, Rose Trigg of Colorado Springs, CO and Nina Redding of Jackson, MS.; three grandchildren, Laurin, James. and Randi.
A Memorial Mass for Sarah will be held Saturday, January 10, 2015 at St. Catherine’s Chapel in St. Mary’s hospital.
In leiu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Donor Network of Arizona (dnaz.org) or Literacy Connects (literacyconnects.org).