Obituary for Sally Day Butler

Born in Lexington, Kentucky, she spent much of her life in the Tampa Bay Area enjoying the many benefits the Suncoast had to offer with her many close family members and friends.

She was born the second of three wonderful daughters to Irma Lee (Stanley) and the late William “Big Bill” Taylor Day of Clearwater, FL.

A graduate of Clearwater High School Class of 1967, she earned both a BA in Music Education and an MA in Music from FSU in Tallahassee. She taught school locally at Bay Point Middle School teaching Music, and many students may fondly recall attending her classes in Mathematics at Gibbs High School before her moving on to Pinellas Park High School for her final years before retirement.

Sally’s true passion for travel carried her worldwide. She often spent summers traveling to many international destinations – often to areas off the beaten path – to intimately experience the local cultures and traditions. In the process, she made countless friendships that she would cherish throughout her life. House trades provided a way for many of us to join her on her expeditions while enabling her international friends the ability to experience the American way of life.

She was able to combine education and travel together as part of the Fulbright International Education and Cultural Exchange Program in 1998 that allowed her to travel and fully experience the British culture as a teacher in Birmingham, UK. Her intellectual prowess and ability to interact and effectively communicate with the students and faculty made this a truly fun, rich and rewarding experience for all.

Sally’s appreciation and admiration for Musical Theater and the Performing Arts were fulfilled with her close friends and family in Tampa Bay’s flourishing performing arts community. An accomplished vocalist, she not only performed in starring roles in a number of productions at the Golden Apple Dinner Theater, St. Petersburg Little Theater and The Master Chorale of Tampa Bay, but she also supported St. Petersburg’s freeFall Theater enterprise as an avid promoter and eager volunteer.

Sally loved life and believed in living life to its fullest. She excelled in intellectually challenging games and enjoyed communicating over social media with her extended family of loving friends from all over the world. Admired by many, she was loved by all. She is, and will be, dearly missed by her family and friends.

She is survived by her mother, Irma Day, and her two sisters, Linda Burke and Kathy Day, all of Clearwater; nieces Stephanie Tocco and Sarah Burke; nephew Bill Burke; and many wonderful grand-nieces, grand-nephews, and cousins.

A Celebration of Life is planned for 11 AM, Saturday, 26 Feb 2022 at the Moss Feaster Funeral Home, 693 S Belcher Rd., Clearwater, FL.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that any charitable donations be made in her memory to either the freeFall Theater, 6099 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, FL 33710, or The Nature Conservancy, Attn: Treasury, 4245 N Fairfax Drive, Suite 100, Arlington, VA 22203.