Feb. 24, 1935 — Aug. 10, 2023
Sallie Elliot Shippen died peacefully in Tualatin, Oregon, on Aug. 10 at age 88. As in all her life, Sallie was surrounded in her final days by her loving family and close friends.
Born Sallie Elliot Dunn to Robert Dunn and Frances (Kremer) Dunn in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Sallie spent formative years at Mills College before earning a bachelor’s degree from Portland State University and the Master of Divinity degree from Church Divinity School of the Pacific. She was ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Oregon in 1983, and was called to serve as rector at Grace Episcopal Church in Astoria, Oregon, and then St. John’s Episcopal Church in Oakland, California.
Sallie’s commitment to service was core to her being, and she felt honored to be the first woman priest to serve as rector in the Diocese of Oregon.
Sallie was married to Harley Stallman in 1955, and they had two sons she loved dearly, as well as the daughters-in-law, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. In 1965 she married Stan Bennett.
Sallie was especially talented in music, guitar teaching, and art. Sallie cultivated a lifelong love of the arts, particularly classical and folk music, folk dancing, opera, and as a guitar teacher and prolific artist. Always eager to learn new techniques, Sallie produced a wide variety of works now cherished in homes across the country. She authored several small books, published many annual calendars featuring her artwork, illustrated countless greeting cards, was recognized in several art fairs, and was celebrated in the book “Art State: Washington.”
Some of Sallie’s greatest joys were in friendships and bringing people together. Throughout her life, she connected with friends and family through hosting special events, traveling, writing letters, and organizing an annual Lenten Prayer Covenant for 25 years with members across the country and the world. Continuing into the final years of her life, she enjoyed a weekly video meeting of friends, together with her cherished sister, Peggy.
Sallie is survived by sons Robert (with Jolene) Stallman and Andrew (Jeanne) Stallman, grandchildren Emily Blue, Ashley (Kevin) Sonoff, Jenifer Joy, Marie (Nicolas) Millan, and Robert Stallman, as well as great-grandchildren Halacha Stallman, Anna and Wyatt Sonoff, and Amelia Millan.
A service will be held at the Episcopal Parish of St. John the Baptist in Portland at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. All are welcome. In lieu of flowers, the family appreciates donations to Habitat for Humanity, which Sallie supported, both through her own donations and personal labor in the Rogue Valley, Oregon, and in New Zealand and Northern Ireland.
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