Wise Funeral Home

Sallie Juannell Gregory

( November 16, 1947 - May 27, 2025 )

Is bittersweet, as that of Chocolate, that the body does so enjoy... As is the Memory of my Mother Sallie Juanell Gregory :

She Loved me, cared for me, nurtured me, and guided me...

She was the Best Mom she knew how to be, she spared no efforts in taking care of all my needs, and some of my wants as a youth...

A single parent for most of my life growing up...

She forged her own path through life, her stubbornly strong will, only matched by my own...

She had worked as a layout artist for Stripling's dept store, then later worked as a layout artist for Cox's dept store, and then after they merged she worked as the layout artist for Stripling-Cox dept store...

After that she was the advertising layout artist for Pier 1 imports; all of this was while we lived in Ft. Worth...

Later we moved to New Mexico, and she worked as a clothing designer for Pioneer Wear Western outer wear; she designed leather suede jackets, skirts, and dresses...

Some of her designs were worn by Kenny Rodgers, and the dancers for the Dolly Parton show...

After this she started free lance artwork, and did color pictures for court trials, various local businesses...

It was during this period of time she did artwork for the Isaac Asimov magazines, and even wrote some short stories for the magazine...

She also started getting into making mats for photo frames, and pictures... She dabbled in clay, microcrystalline, wire sculptures, and was adept with water color, oils, enamels, pastels, chalks, and had produced stipple work...

She even used the air brush, and was good enough to touch up photo negatives...

Everything she put her hand to, or mind on, was transformed into art, as if life itself was a symphony of art...

Everything she did, was an expression of self, and in everything she was meticulously detailed!

She was a member of Mensa, a genius, one who played left hand vs. right hand at Scrabble; and both hands would score 200+ points...

I remember the long drives back when life was simple and I could lay my head in Mom's lap and drift off into other worlds...

I remember all the bumps, bruises, cuts, and scrapes; all bandaged with tinder care...

I remember her supporting me in things I took interest in, like Cub scouts, Civil Air Patrol, model rocketry, home chemical science labs, electronic labs, erector sets, slot cars, and model rail road train sets...

She was stern, a force to be reckoned with, a lecture alone was worse than any spanking she could give...

When I had gotten in trouble, the encyclopedia, dictionary, or thesaurus

was my punishment, with groundings!

As time had passed she became more shut in, more, and more reclusive, and very private...

She slowly shut the entire world off from herself!

Sweet and fond are the memories of old, and those that I cling to in my heart!

Bitter is the knowing that she passed all alone, and had no one to check on her...

Sweet is the knowing she passed in control, she was not in a nursing home, or a hospital...

She passed on her own terms, in her own way...

Bitter is the loss the flesh feels, Sweet is the Knowing she is with GOD! Bitter is the thought of irreconcilable differences, between her and others...

Sweet is in the Knowing that ALL has been forgiven, and reconciliation has been found!

Bitter is thought of not holding her hand; but Sweet is the Knowing that she is with me, and with Grandma Bessie, and Grandpa Eugene "Gene" and her brother Richard, all of whom are with our Omnipresent Father GOD...

Love, Your Son