Sally K. Arthur

Sally Kaye Arthur was born in Terre Haute, Indiana, on April 7, 1937, the daughter of Vernon R. McMillan and Laverne K. McMillan (née Knight). She passed away on June 18, 2015, at the Hospice Home of Hope.Sally was a loving wife, mother, artist, adventurer, writer, and free spirit. After her mother was killed in a tragic car accident shortly after she was born, young Sally and her sister Martha were raised by her father, Vernon, at his farm in Terre Haute. A colorful entrepreneur and innovator with a gregarious personality, Sally’s father set a powerful example. As a child, Sally saw her father grow a prominent sporting goods store, McMillan Sports, and become mayor of Terre Haute from 1942 to 1947. Sally’s childhood and teenage years were filled with amazing adventures and hilarious stories, which she later retold with great joy.Fundamental among those adventures were annual summer trips to McMillan Island in Temagami, Ontario, Canada. The family island was a very special place for Sally, giving her countless places to explore and enjoy the vast, unspoiled beauty of Lake Temagami. These experiences were essential in forming her lifetime love of travel and her passion to create and try new things.Sally earned a B.S. in English from Purdue University (1959), and was a member of the Alpha Chi chapter of Kappa Alpha Theta. Her father then treated Sally and her sister, Martha, to a trip around the world by steamship, with stops including Hawaii, Japan, Hong Kong, India, South Africa, Brazil, and Trinidad. Back in the United States, Sally traveled to her first job with the National Security Agency in Washington, D.C., as a translator and analyst.After several years, Sally returned to Terre Haute, and in March, 1965, she married Robert (Bob) Milton Arthur, then a professor at Rose Polytechnic Institute (now the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology). Shortly thereafter, they had a son, Robert McMillan Arthur.In 1972, Sally and Bob moved their young family back to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, his hometown, so that they could start a new career as entrepreneurs. Eventually Sally became a vice-president in that business, Arthur Technology, Inc., a consulting, research & development, testing, and training firm specializing in the wastewater treatment industry. Throughout the 70s and 80s, Sally and Bob would travel the United States and Canada with their young son, holding countless seminars to promote their growing company and together experiencing almost all of the states and provinces.For many enjoyable years, they lived at a home on Lake Winnebago in the town of Taycheedah. In 1996, Sally and Bob moved to their dream home high atop the Ledge overlooking the city, surrounded by acres of woods, flowers, and wildlife. All the while, Sally continued her passion to create and try new things, including: raising a pet goat, Chester; planting and running a successful asparagus farm; and expressing her artistic nature in painting, ceramics, and stained glass. Sally’s life was an endless opportunity to grow and explore, and her only limitation was her imagination.Sally is survived by her son, Robert McMillan Arthur of Fond du Lac; a brother-in-law, Robert Lindner of Fallbrook, CA; and two sisters-in-law, Mary Arthur of Fond du Lac and Marion Seibel of Fond du Lac. Many nephews, nieces, cousins, and friends further survive her.Her husband, Robert (Bob) Milton Arthur; her parents; her sister, Martha A. Lindner of Fallbrook, CA; and two brothers-in-law, James (Jim) Arthur and John Seibel, preceded her in death.A memorial service will be held at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, July 23, 2015, at Mach Funeral Chapel & Crematory, 31 East Division Street, Fond du Lac, with Rev. Bill Beaton officiating.The family will greet relatives and friends on Thursday at Mach Funeral Chapel & Crematory from 4:00 p.m. until the time of service.Inurnment will be in Rienzi Cemetery.Memorials may be directed to Salem United Methodist Church.

Sally K. Arthur

April 7, 1937 - July 23, 2015