Sallie Ellington Middleton
February 11, 1926 ~ August 7, 2009
Resided in:
Asheville, NC
Renowned wildlife watercolor artist, Sallie Ellington Middleton, 83, died Friday, August 7, 2009, at her home on Chunn's Cove Road.
Mrs. Middleton was born in Washington, DC, and was a daughter of the late Kenneth and Margaret Ellington, and the niece of famed architect, Douglas Ellington.
She is survived by two daughters, Sallie Middleton Parker, her husband, John, and Mikell Middleton Howington and her husband, Frank; grandchildren, Forbes Ellington Turley, Sallie Kaltreider Namey, and her husband Thomas, Peter Kenneth Benfer Kaltreider and his wife, Sarah, and Christian Ellington Kaltreider and his wife, Anne; great-grandchildren, Kate, Tom, Eli and Callie; a brother-in-law, Thomas Pettigrew; a sister-in-law, Ann Ellington Robinson and nieces and nephews, Katherine Coleman, Kenneth Ellington, Douglas Ellington, Eric Ellington, Edward Ellington and Margaret Ellington Baggett.
A memorial service will be celebrated at 2:00 p.m. Monday at Trinity Episcopal Church by the Revs. Carol Hubbard, Alex Viola and Patty Mouer.
The family will receive friends in the church fellowship hall immediately following the service.
In lieu of flowers, memroials may be made to St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 219 Chunn's Cove Road, Asheville, NC 28805.
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SO SORRY,MY THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS ARE WITH YOU,,,CHERISH HER MEMORIES THEY ARE FOREVER….MUCH LOVE,JEAN
The world is a bit poorer today because of her passing but is so much richer because of this remarkable lady’s life!
We will miss her friendship, her stories, and her many talents but the memories will remain with us forever.
God bless her and the family.
Every time I walk through our dining room, I see your butterflies and your ovenbirds. How beautiful!!!…and of course, each print has your signature bluejay feather. It was an honor to produce your prints, Sallie,each of which was a special prayer. God blessed you with an unique talent. Our prayers go with you and to your family from all of the O’Boyle family.
Every time I walk through our dining room, I see your butterflies and your ovenbirds. How beautiful!!!…and of course, each print has your signature bluejay feather. It was an honor to produce your prints, Sallie,each of which was a special prayer. God blessed you with an unique talent. Our prayers go with you and to your family from all of the O’Boyle family.
I just recently had the privilege of meeting Ms. Sallie. (I was working for Haynes Heating & Cooling). I could have stayed and listened to her stories for days. She had such a wonderful wittieness about her that only she had. The Lord definitely made one of her! I was hoping to see her this fall and hear her new thoughts on Obama,HA HA HA. She was so proud of her home and where she came from. Our prayers to the Lord Jesus Christ are for you to not forget her, but think of the beauty that her eyes can see now.
Dear Sallie and Mikell (and family),
I am so sad to hear of the loss of your mother. What an amazing woman! I am so happy that Croft got to be with her a few times and in particular at her home (complete with fairy lairs). Your mother’s beauty and elegance are so wonderfully carried on by both of you!
My thoughts and prayers are with you.
Love, Lori
Dear GrandSallie,
You were a powerful force in this world and there aren’t words to describe how much you will be missed. From the Fairy trees to the magical mural in the dining room, from your story-telling that left everyone hanging on to every word to your unbelievable gift of painting, from your love of animals and uncanny appreciation for nature, from your tough-love to your soft heart, you will be remembered with wholehearted love, fervor, and gratitude. My life, my children’s lives, my husband’s life, my Mom’s life, my brothers’ lives, and the lives of your friends, family, and countless admirers were all irrevocably enhanced by the power of YOU.
In a word, you were enchanting.
I will ache for you for the remaining days of my life. Life will never be the same.
All my love, and then some more,
Sal
PS. Please give O’Mommie all my love.
Dear Sallie, Mikell, and all,
My parents and I were so sorry to hear of Miss Sallie’s passing. The world is a sadder, more dreary place today without the bright spark of life that she brought to all she encountered. She had such rare poise and grace….and there truly was a magic about her. She was a great Southern Lady.
A while back, I met her in a hardware store. What started out as a commonplace conversation about wilting rose bushes turned into a fascinating story of her uncle’s architectural vision, her childhood, and the enchantment of the old home out at Chunn’s Cove. Somehow, each and every meeting with her ended up turning into a rare and precious memory.
This morning in church, I prayed the prayer from the old Prayer Book, ‘Almighty God, we remember this day before thee thy faithful servant Sallie, and we pray thee that, having opened to her the gates of larger life, thou wilt receive her more and more into thy joyful service; that she may win, with thee and thy servants everywhere, the eternal victory; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.’
While I know you all must be devastated by her loss, I hope you can take comfort in the thoughts of those gates opening for her. Just imagine, now unbound by the constraints of this dreary world, to what heights she has soared….
Our love and prayers are with you.
Ken, Joanne and John (Pankow)
Stearnsfield@aol.com
Dear family,
I am so sorry for your loss. I met Sallie a couple years ago at an art shop in Dillsboro where she was signing prints. Her spirit and southern charm blessed me and my two youngest children that day. It was a wonderful morning to spend with her. The girls drew pictures for Sallie, which she graciously accepted, while I picked out pictures of hers that now grace our home. She told us stories about her artwork and living in Charleston. She left our family with beautiful stories and pictures. And after getting to know her that day, she has left us with a part of her spirit as well. She was a beautiful woman.
God be with you.
Cindy Anthony
I am sending all my love and thoughts to you all at this very sad time. Sallie was a wonderful person and an incredible artist! She was my second mother and I loved her very much!!!
My love and prayers go out to you all!!
Love,
Kathy Dodds Secrest
Dear Sallie, I grieve for you and your family. No matter how long we have them, losing a mother creates a void nothing can fill. You may be sure of my prayers for her and for you.
Fr. George Deas
Dear Sallie, Sallie, Christian, and Peter,
Oh how long ago it was that Sallie and Christian came to be my students. Old friend Sallie, your heart must be heavy with this loss of your mother. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase two of her limited prints years ago and I still use Sallie (Jr.)’s little drawing in my brochures of my school. Although I never knew her personally, I certainly know about her through you all. My heart and thoughts are with you in this difficult time.
with love to all of you,
Isabel Taylor (Miss Bell)
Farewell to my lovely and precious Sallie.
Since we were three we’ve shared this world and traveled to Greece with merry hearts. Oh, what a trip. May we one day dance in the clouds together. Jennifer
Thank you for the painting you gave us 22 years ago as a wedding gift. It has always provided us with a taste of North Carolina. Go with God.
Sallie has always reminded me of Kathryn Hepburn…witty, smart, funny, talented, and beautiful. I loved her and I will miss her. She most certainly had an impact on me and a place in my heart forever.
I was able to have to talked to this sweet lady 3 times while I have been here at Skyland. I could tell she was such a blessing to everyone she knew. May God give you ever thing you need durning this hard time of lost. Sam & Wanda King
Dear Sallie, John, Mikel, Frank and family,
We were so sorry to hear about your Mom today. We are praying for you. May you feel the Lord’s comfort, strength, courage and love during the days to come.
Vic & Vicki Howard
Dear John & Sallie and family,
We are remembering you in our thoughts and prayers during this time of loss. We cannot help but think to the times when we visited my Grandmother in her retirement facility and there were Sallie Middleton prints up and down the halls. Her work was so distinctive,as was she. What wonderful memories you have of a precious lady.
I will miss my sweet friend Sallie and am so thankful to have visited her in June with my sisters. We took adorable photos of her with her iced tea, and rolled cookie that looked like a cigar.
Blessings to her sweet family.
Sincerely, Nell Scruggs
Mikell,
I was sorry to hear about your mother. I still remember the few times I met her, what a remarkable and interesting lady!! I know she will surely be missed by many. Also tell Sallie that I’m thinking of you all.
To the Middleton Family:
I was so sorry to hear about your loss. Sallie was such a gifted artist, and I am reminded of her gift daily as I admire some of her prints in my home. You have my sympathy.
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. –Psalm 91:11 (NKJV)
Sallie was elegance and artistry personified.
She always kept us looking for that bluebird feather.
Armistead Maupin (Teddy)
Dear Sallie…I read of your mother’s death in the paper. Want you to know you (and your family) are in my thoughts and prayers. Having lost my mom 5 years ago I know how huge the empty spot is. I have thought many times of having a reunion of our girls group. I miss you, faithfully read your column, and smile (you were always so patient with us). I know your faith is very strong and will carry you through this hard time. I regret never meeting your mother but have often been awed by her art work. With love…Barbara
Sallie represented grace, beauty, and light to me. Whenever I was in her presence growing up she fascinated me with her world of whimsy, her amazing wisdom and advice, and her undying energy. She was a true ‘flutterfly’. I will think of her now in the company of so many who love her. X Jane
Dear Sallie, Mikell, and each member of the family, and friends,
This past week my thoughts and feelings have been with you all. Please take good care of yourselves.
I was at the memorial service and it was beautiful. Even though I never had the pleasure of meeting Sallie Middleton, I do enjoy many of her paintings everyday at my home. I have been a huge admirer of her work for years. It certainly is my loss not to have ever met such a special person.
What a lady!
I spoke with Sallie the last week of July and she was excited about our doing another show. I enjoyed the many trips we took, listening to her stories. She never ran out of them. It was a great privledge to have known and worked with her. Sallie Jr and Mikel thanks for allowing me to be involved in your mother’s life. It was so much fun. I will miss her, but you know currently she is expressing her opinions to anyone who will listen in Heaven. I am praying for the family.
I was invited into her home once for tea with an artist friend who was driving around looking for a neighboring potter when we stumbled upon her house. She was a household name in my house growing up. We invited her to our gallery opening and she arrived with entourange in tow. Later that night she called me and said ‘if you really want to make a success of your gallery, here is a list of things you have to do’ and proceeded to list them. They were very helpful and it was nice of her to do that. Hearing of a death is always sad. Doubly sad when I learned she thought her spirit would remain at her house and her remains are no more important than to be discarded in the poison ivy. The Bible paints a much more positive, truthful picture.
Sally,
I found one of your prints in a Goodwill today and fell in love with it.
It’s a Thisle print.
Thank you for the beauty you created.
May you be blessed in the garden of heaven.
Blessings.
Maria
Ms. Middleton is a wonderfully accomplished arrtist whom I most appreciate.
It would have been a gift to have met her.
Bob McDonald