Sally King Obituary

Sally M. King

January 26, 1932 - June 22, 2025

Longtime Warsaw resident, Sara "Sally" King, died peacefully at home on June 22, 2025, at the age of 93.

Sally was born in the small town of Petersburg, W.Va., on Jan. 26, 1932, to William Cullen and Sarah Taylor Moomau.

Delivered by her uncle, she was the eighth of nine children. Her father co-founded the Grant County Bank, and she had fond memories of tapping on his office window to see if he could spare a nickel.

Her father died when Sally was 12, and her seven older siblings made sure she was cared for, just as she watched out for younger sibling, Henry.

A good student, Sally attended Greensboro Women's College for two years and then graduated from West Virginia University.

A year later she was working as a teacher and living with her good friend Cary Weaver in Montgomery County, Md., when she met her future husband, William King. They planned a summer wedding in July 1954 while Bill completed his military service.

First, their daughter Beth, then their son Billy, were born. They then moved to Lexington, Va., while Bill attended law school and she hired Hannah, her beloved housekeeper, to help out while she was teaching school.

After Bill took his law degree from Washington and Lee Law School, they moved to Warsaw, where college friend Bill Wright was already established. Sally began by raising the two children, teaching school and melding into Warsaw's lively society.

She was an avid reader and lover of the arts and literature.

When Rappahannock Community College was established in 1970, she went to work in the library, eventually getting her Master's Degree in Education from VCU and becoming the Library Director.

She made many new friends at the library and became involved in Planned Parenthood, the Bicentennial Commission, Friends of the Library, helped establish the Richmond County Museum, and oversaw the blending of Richmond County Library with RCC's library, as well as the computerization of the RCC Library's card catalogue from beginning to end in 1988.

She was instrumental in the creation of Attic Books in 1988. This used book store shared joy and insights from its inception onward, outgrowing the two rooms beside the RCC Library to fill a large building next to the Northern Neck State Bank.

She was a loyal supporter of the law library at RCC for use by not only attorneys but also the lay person, served the Northern Neck Garden Club and was active with the Northern Neck Land Conservancy.

Sally truly embodied her middle name, "Grace," according to her RCC Library coworker and dear friend Linda Taylor

Sally retired from the library in February of 1999 and enjoyed time with her grandchildren before moving to Sarasota, Fla., with Bill in 2011. They spent five wonderful years at the Meadow making friends and playing tennis.

After Bill's death in 2021, she returned to Warsaw and could often be found out for dinner at The Relish Restaurant, attending St. John's Church, and in the company of family: Billy King, Sophie Winter, Matt, David and Josie Wold.

She was predeceased by her husband, Bill King; daughter, Beth King Peacock; her parents; and eight siblings.

She is survived by her son, Billy; grandchildren, Sophie Winter and Stephenie Hollenbeck-Irwin; and numerous nieces and nephews.

A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m., July, 19, at St John's Church, Warsaw.