Sally Ileen Blundell

Sally Ileen Blundell of El Cajon, California, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on March 5, 2020, joining her husband Steve in heaven. She passed away peacefully of natural causes, with her son-in-law, Ron, who had been her primary care-giver, at her side.

Sally was born in Springfield, Ohio, where she attended elementary school and high school. She then moved to Florida, where she met the love of her life, Steve Blundell, while working as a nurse's aide at Hialeah Hospital. Steve was an eighteen-year-old orderly at the hospital. It has been told over the years that Sally met Steve in a supply room at the hospital, where she entered to gather some blankets and found him taking a nap. The couple joked that their courtship started in a storage closet, but continued with a sense of humor and deep love, since, shortly thereafter, they married and enjoyed 52 years of wedded bliss, with Steve calling Sally “his lovely bride” for all of those decades.

While Steve was in the Navy, the young couple was stationed in Hawaii and Alaska. Sally had a few different jobs to help make her military family's ends meet, most notably, driving a school bus in the far-west Aleutian Island town of Adak, Alaska.

After military service, Steve and Sally moved to Florida, where they would raise their two girls, Kim and Shelly. Once settling in Florida, Sally began a 17-year nursing career, before retiring. Nursing came naturally to Sally because she was a true caregiver, with a kind spirit and gentle nature, providing calm in times of crisis.

She was the backbone of her family, steady and quiet, but always observant and ready with a smile. She fiercely loved her two children and four grandchildren, but also knew how to keep them in line. As the grandmother of four rambunctious boys, she was forced to come out of her quiet shell and could get quite loud when she needed to. Sally was also the only one that managed to get her mischievous husband to behave, which was no easy task sometimes. Sally loved her girls, making many sacrifices to be sure their needs were met. With Steve at the helm, but with Sally providing direction, there was no shortage of love in the Blundell house.

Sally enjoyed singing in the choir at her church, First Baptist Church of Delray Beach, Florida, as well as teaching children's Sunday School. Sally was a voracious reader, mostly romance novels. She was a phenomenal cook and loved to travel with her husband Steve napping on the plane, going to theater in New York, where she saw many musicals while Steve napped through the performances.

Generous with her time and her heart, Sally always knew what to say to comfort those around her. She is greatly missed.

Sally is survived by her brother James Warren Sifrit (Joy); daughters, Kimberly Shrin (Ron) and Shelly Buck; her grandsons, Louis Garcia III, Steven Garcia, Alex Buck (Amber), Erik Buck; and her great granddaughter, Briana Marylyn Garcia. Sally is preceded in death by husband, Steve Blundell; her mother, Glenna Ruth Sifrit; and her father, Billy Warren Sifrit. Due to COVID-19, the family has not been able to plan a service this year, but appreciates your prayers and well wishes. If you wish to honor Sally’s life in some way, donations to JDRF.org are welcomed.