Sally Jeanette Cross Staley

Sally Jeanette Cross Staley, 79, died unexpectedly after a brief illness in Iowa City, Iowa on Friday, July 31, 2026.

A service of remembrance for Sally will be held at 10:30 AM, Tuesday, August 11, 2026, at St. Andrew Presbyterian Church in Iowa City. The service will be live-streamed by the church for those who cannot attend in person and a lunch reception will follow the service. Visitation will be Monday, August 10, 2026 from 4 PM to 6 PM at Lensing Funeral & Cremation Service in Iowa City.

Sally was born on October 24, 1946, the first daughter of Kenneth Robert Cross and (Ella) Jeanette (Benson) Cross. She was born at University Hospital in Iowa City, the same hospital where her mother became a nurse and her father trained as a physician. Her family lived in Des Moines until she was four, then returned to Iowa City. The house on Rowland Court would become her true childhood home. There, with her younger sisters Trish and Kathy, she spent those years doing the things that make a childhood feel full–making friends, playing music, ice skating, sledding, going to Girl Scouts, baking Danish cookies and doing arts and crafts with her sisters. Weekends often meant visits with family in Baxter and West Branch.

She attended Lincoln Elementary, Central Junior High, and Iowa City High School, graduating in 1964 as Salutatorian. Sally was talented, hardworking, and intellectually curious. She excelled academically while also distinguishing herself as a violinist, diver, class officer, and Worthy Advisor in the International Order of Rainbow Girls. When the Presidential Scholar Program was initiated in 1964, Sally was the first of two students in Iowa to be selected. She and her parents traveled to Washington D.C. where they were entertained in style by President Lyndon Johnson.

Sally attended Wellesley College, graduating in 1968 with a B.A., double majoring in Economics and History. She thrived in college, where she was a violinist in the orchestra, a competitive diver, and made lifelong friends. Immediately after graduation, she worked for Massachusetts Senator Edward Brooke on water policy issues for the Water Resources Council, a predecessor of today’s Environmental Protection Agency.

She pursued graduate studies in economics, first at Johns Hopkins and then at the University of Iowa. While Sally was at Iowa, she met John Staley, who was also enrolled in the same graduate program. It didn’t take long before they were married at First Presbyterian Church in Iowa City in 1970.

Together, over 54 years, they raised three boys–Kenneth, Thomas, and Robert–and created a rich life focused on family, service, and community. While supporting John as he pursued his career, Sally poured her energy into their children and the daily work of making a home. She was a member of Chapter E P.E.O., was an active member of the Wellesley Alumnae Club of Iowa City and served as an admissions interviewer for many years, and many P.T.O.s over the years.

Sally was a member of P.E.O. Chapter E, an active member of the Wellesley Club of Iowa City serving for many years as an admissions interviewer, a dedicated participant in numerous P.T.O.s over the years, and a supporter of the International Women’s Club of Iowa City.

Sally’s professional career included positions at the University of Iowa as a Graduate Examiner, at Cross Medical Laboratories, and as a teacher at The Hospital School. Throughout her life, education was one of her deepest passions. She devoted countless volunteer hours to strengthening Iowa City schools and was elected to the Iowa City Community School District Board of Education in 1990, serving six years. Upon leaving the board, she donated her remaining campaign funds to establish the Iowa City Community School District Foundation’s very first General Fund-a modest gift that became the seed of an endowment that continues to benefit Iowa City students today.

She had a remarkable gift for making people feel like they belonged. She believed a home was meant to be shared. Neighbors, friends, children’s friends, caregivers, and extended family folded naturally into the life of her family. Over the years, she maintained strong, loving, long-term relationships with friends from every chapter of life.

Sally especially treasured the close bond between her family and her sister Trish’s family. Together, the two sisters fostered a remarkably close extended family, bringing together siblings, spouses, cousins, and in-laws to celebrate birthdays, holidays, vacations, and life’s milestones. Sally delighted in telling stories about her children and, later, her grandchildren, who remained her greatest source of pride and joy.

She delighted in gardening, excelled in embroidery, loved to cook and entertain, and delighted in making every detail of holidays special. Her Christmas cookies became legendary. Beautifully decorated and painstakingly crafted, they were anticipated each year by family and friends alike.

If an idea captured Sally’s imagination, it quickly became a mission. Whether she was organizing an event, planning a renovation, researching a topic, or mastering a new skill, she approached it with remarkable determination and energy. She rarely pursued a project halfway, and it could be difficult for the rest of us to keep up.

In recent years, Sally faced more than her share of health challenges. They diminished her strength but never her optimism, determination, or desire to create. Just days before passing away, she was working out final details for the large family gathering at Cedar Lake in August, and planning the family’s Christmas celebration.

Sally’s imagination, curiosity, and generosity never faded. She always believed there was another project to begin, another tradition to continue, another person to welcome, and another holiday to celebrate. We only wish she had more time.

Sally is survived by her sons, Kenneth Staley (Kimberly Soer Staley) of Haymarket, Virginia., and their children Perry, Evie, and Patrick John (“PJ”); and Thomas Staley (Reynelle Brown Staley) of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and their sons Robinson and Ellis. She is also survived by her sisters, Patricia Koza and Katharine Cross; nephew Joshua Koza (Sarah DeJong) and their children Abigail and Jacob; and niece Christina Koza.

She was preceded in death by her infant sister, Julie, her parents, her husband of 54 years, John Harlan Staley; her youngest son, Robert Harlan Staley, and her brother-in-law, John Koza.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be directed to the Foundation for the Iowa City Community School District online at bit.ly/ICCSDfoundation or by mail to: ICCSD Foundation, 2255 N. Dubuque Rd., Iowa City, IA 52245. Online condolences can be made at lensingfuneral.com