Sarah June Etter Wixson

Sarah June Etter Wixson was born on December 11, 1935, in Washington, Hempstead County, Arkansas. She was the oldest child of William Henry Etter IV, a county agent and printer, and Charlean Trimble Etter, a schoolteacher.

Some of Mom’s happiest early memories were of riding along with her father on the back roads of southwest Arkansas as he visited farms and businesses. She was the navigator, and those early journeys sparked a lifelong love of maps, adventure, and discovering what lay around the next corner.

By high school, Sarah was ready for a bigger world. She moved to El Dorado, Arkansas, to attend high school and help care for her widowed grandmother. There she found more to see and do, made lifelong friends, and began friendships that would eventually take her around the globe.

After graduating from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Sarah moved to Dallas, Texas. The big city! She was in heaven. She quickly found a job teaching high school geometry, joined Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and made a new circle of friends.

After a few years of teaching, Sarah couldn’t resist the opportunity to move to England for a year, where she taught geometry at the U.S. Air Force base at Lakenheath. Weekends and summers, before and after the school year, were spent exploring as many European back roads as she could find. With access to military flights, she could get almost anywhere for a weekend adventure. She was happiest when discovering new places.

Sarah returned to Dallas in 1960 and resumed teaching. Reconnecting with Highland Park Presbyterian Church, she met and married William John “Bill” Wixson in 1963. Their sons, Ron and Tom, were born in 1967 and 1970.

Over the next 20 years, Mom poured herself into her family, church, and community. She taught Sunday school, volunteered at Hyer Elementary School, served as a Cub Scout den mother, participated in Bible studies and Circle meetings at Highland Park Presbyterian Church, and played bridge with her close-knit group of friends. She was always finding ways to serve others and stay connected to the people she loved.

Summertime belonged to adventure. Starting each spring, Mom began planning the family’s summer road trip.  She never planned a leisurely vacation. If we weren’t driving 500 miles a day, we were wasting time! We traveled coast to coast for weeks at a time, rarely staying more than a couple of days in any one place. California, Florida, Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon, Colorado, Niagara Falls, Big Bend, and just about everywhere in between.  Her goal was to get Ron and Tom to every state before they graduated from high school. We came close.

Looking back, those trips were about much more than putting miles on the car. Mom gave us a sense of adventure, a curiosity about the world, and memories that will last a lifetime. She also taught us that there was always something interesting just a few hundred miles farther down the road.

After losing Bill far too early, and once both boys had finished college, Sarah followed Ron and his family to North Carolina. There she embraced what may have been her favorite role of all: grandmother. To her grandsons, she was known “Sallie.”  (In honor of her paternal grandmother)

Sallie attended every school event she could, countless soccer games and swim meets, and took the boys on adventures of their own. She doted on them, cheered them on, and made sure they knew how deeply they were loved.

Tom and his family lived seven hours away in Nashville, but distance was no obstacle for Sarah. She wore out two Buicks making the drive back and forth. Apparently, the 500-mile-a-day rule never really expired.

When she wasn’t being a grandmother, she was still on the go. Between her siblings, her Dallas friends, and her high school friends, there was always someone ready to travel with her. If a car door was open, a plane was about to take off, or a ship was preparing to leave port, chances were good that Sarah was on her way. She simply couldn’t help herself. Her documented case of wanderlust was incurable.

From the time she moved to North Carolina until the month she entered memory care, Sarah kept exploring. Her adventures included dog sledding across Alaska for her 65th birthday, walking along the Great Wall of China, riding camels near the pyramids of Egypt, visiting the Taj Mahal in India, going on safari in Kenya, and climbing Machu Picchu in Peru at the age of 80. She visited Nepal and Tibet, traveled countless times to Europe, and spent two wonderful summers working at Glacier National Park in her late 70s.

She cruised through the Panama Canal, along the rivers of Europe and the fjords of Norway, explored the Galápagos Islands, traveled the Nile River, and took road trips to every corner of the United States. She even drove to Alaska twice. Apparently, once wasn’t enough.

Every trip was meticulously documented and photographed. Mom didn’t just collect souvenirs; she collected experiences, stories, friendships, and an extraordinary lifetime of memories. Her only unfulfilled destination was Australia. (Perhaps some of her ashes will eventually be scattered there. She would be pleased to have one last trip on the calendar).

Above all else, Sarah loved Jesus. Her faith was quiet but strong, and it sustained her throughout all 90 years of her life. She was a wonderful example to Ron and Tom, a faithful volunteer at church, a quiet prayer warrior, and a woman who faced difficult times with determination and stoicism while sharing her joy with those around her. Her faith was not just something she professed; it was something she lived.

Sarah knew where she was going. Now, after a life filled with faith, family, friendship, and adventure, she rests peacefully in the arms of Jesus.

Sarah is survived by her sisters, Cherry Kirby (Gary) and Margaret Simpson; her brother, Bill Etter V (Thalia); her sons, Ron (Reed) and Tom (Kristie); and her four beloved grandsons, Jack, Ben, Sam, and Owen Wixson. She is also survived by her great-granddaughter, Turner and great-grandson, Tripp.  Even as dementia took its toll, her family could see how captivated she was by these newest additions to the family.

Sarah also leaves behind her much-loved nieces (who referred to her as “Aunt Junie”) Kristen Felix, Nan Wilson, Susan McConnell, Shannon Panjwani, and Sally Rupert, and her lone nephew, Billy Etter VI.

Sarah leaves behind a family who loved her dearly, friends who shared her many adventures, and an example of faith, service, curiosity, and joy that will endure for generations. She spent 90 years exploring the world, and we are grateful for every mile of the journey she shared with us.

A memorial service will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem, NC on Friday, November 6, 2026 at 2:00 pm.

The family wishes to express its sincere appreciation to all of the staff at Salemtowne, who cared for mom so well during the last 5 years.

In lieu of flowers, please consider  memorial contributions to First Presbyterian Church in Winston-Salem or to the Employee Appreciation Fund at Salemtowne Retirement Community.

Tributes