Sally Joan Sarvadi was born April 9, 1951 in Kalamazoo, Michigan to Felix Paul Fitzpatrick and Theresa Agnes (Racz) Fitzpatrick. She was sister to four brothers: Dennis, Tim, Tad, and Dana.
Sally attended St. Monica Catholic School, and graduated from Portage Northern High School in 1969. In 1973 she married Jim Sarvadi, and they welcomed daughter Kendra in 1974. Better friends than spouses, they parted ways in 1978, but remained lifelong friends and collaborative co-parents.
Sally joined the staff of the University Libraries at Western Michigan University in 1979. She worked there for 16 years in various roles in the Technical Services area and made many close friends, including lifelong friend Maria Perez-Stable.
Sally met her true love and best friend Ron Paynter on July 3, 1987, through her friend and future sister-in-law Joyce Vestal. They got married on May 13, 1988, and they enjoyed 37 wonderful years together. They lived in Kalamazoo until 1995, then moved to DeKalb, Illinois, where Sally got a job at Northern Illinois University. In 1999 they moved to Lees Summit Missouri, where Sally worked for the City in the Codes Administration / Development Services Department until her retirement in July 2018.
Sally cared fiercely and deeply for her loved ones, and would do anything for them. Curious, thoughtful, and open to other people’s perspectives, she was an excellent listener, and talking with her was both a comfort and a delight to friends and relatives. We’ll remember her for her kind and compassionate heart, bright spirit, lively sense of humor, and irresistible laugh.
Sally Sarvadi, age 73, of Lee’s Summit Missouri, died of issues related to influenza at St. Luke’s East Hospital on March 22, 2025. Husband Ron and daughter Kendra were with her.
Sally was preceded in death by parents Felix and Theresa, and brother Dennis (Sue Fitzpatrick of Kalamazoo, Michigan). She is survived by husband Ron Paynter of Lees Summit, Missouri, daughter Kendra Sarvadi (Darren Stroupe) of Greenfield, Massachusetts, brothers Tim Fitzpatrick, Tad Fitzpatrick, and Dana Fitzpatrick of Kalamazoo, Michigan, and many other loving family members and good friends who will miss her dearly.
Sally’s memorial service will be held on June 21, 2025, from 2-5pm, at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Friends and relatives are invited to view her memorial website, and share stories, photos, and other memories of her, at https://www.forevermissed.com/sally-sarvadi/about.
