Obituary

Sally McNeil-Blimling, 87, of Ivins (Kayenta), Utah, and New Orleans, Louisiana, and a longtime former resident of Destin and Panama City, Florida, passed away in St. George, Utah, before the sun began to rise on September 25, 2026.

Sally was born May 3, 1939, in Hollywood, California to Andy C. McNeil and Betty C. McNeil. After a brief time in south Alabama, this young family of three settled in Panama City, Florida, where Sally became the eldest of seven children — five brothers and one sister (Andy, Janet, Dan, Cyril, Stevie & Sean). She graduated from Bay High School and attended St. Mary’s Dominican College in New Orleans before returning to Florida to continue her education. She completed her undergraduate degree and later earned a Master of Education degree from the University of West Florida while working as a teacher and mothering her own six children.

Sally began her professional life as an educator, teaching business courses at the high school and college levels for nearly fifteen years. She genuinely enjoyed teaching, but in her middle-age years she discovered what would become her professional passion: real estate.

After her first marriage to Donald Y. Kelly ended, Sally continued raising the three youngest of their six children as a 'single mother' while attending graduate school. Her parents nearby and some of her siblings similar in age to her own children formed a unique extended family that is still cherished and revered. Her determination, discipline and extraordinary ability to prioritize allowed her to balance motherhood, education and career goals while always remaining available to her children. Even during those demanding years, Sally somehow found time for the small acts of love her family would never forget — including hand-making beautiful dresses for her daughters Suzanne and Jennifer and baking favorite birthday cakes. Those gestures reflected a fundamental truth about Sally: no matter how much she needed to accomplish, her children remained central in her life.

Sally’s real estate career flourished in Destin, FL just as the area was beginning its extraordinary transformation into one of the Gulf Coast’s premier destinations. A natural leader and gifted agent, she worked closely with countless customers - befriending many - and helped some developers market many of the properties during those remarkable years of growth that eventually shaped what's now widely known as the 'Emerald Coast.' With “Sally in Sales” as her memorable professional logo, she became a record-breaking top producer with Abbott Realty, later ResortQuest, for more than ten consecutive years. She later earned her Florida broker’s license and managed the sales office at TOPS’L Beach & Racquet Resort in the Destin, Miramar Beach and Sandestin area. After semi-retiring, Sally became a licensed broker in Louisiana and established her own small New Orleans brokerage, "NEST Realty."

Competitive, ambitious, intelligent and intuitive, Sally had a remarkable ability to see possibilities others missed. Whether finding another way to make a real estate transaction work, helping one of her children solve a problem, or advising a friend, she was rarely satisfied with the obvious answer. She would often stop and say, “Let’s look at this a different way.” Sally believed strongly in acting rather than postponing. Her motto was simple: “Do it NOW - never put off until tomorrow what can be done today.” It was more than a saying; it was the way she lived. She knew how to prioritize, persevere and accomplish what needed to be done while balancing the many facets of her life as a mother, educator, professional, friend and, eventually, the matriarch of a large extended family.

Yet, for all Sally accomplished professionally, being a mother was the role she treasured most. She loved her six children fiercely and was extraordinarily generous with her time. She was their mother, advisor and problem-solver, always available when they needed her. Following the death of her own beloved mother - her guiding light on earth - Sally became affectionately known in our extended family and to others who knew her as the “Queen Bee.”

Sally treasured her many friendships and possessed a genuine interest in the lives and stories of others. Wherever she lived, worked, worshipped, traveled or simply enjoyed herself, people came to know her as a unique woman with a rare spirit. She had natural warmth and a generous, understanding soul and prayed often to improve herself in the eyes of God.

She loved music, enjoyed playing the piano and was always happy to hear a good song and do a little dancing. Sally was a remarkable cook and - like many great chefs - let the kitchen have its cleaning well after the meal and company had been enjoyed! Grateful to have opportunities to travel to many beautiful places in the world in the 2nd half of her life, she also loved our own beautiful beaches and the mountains of the high desert, finding it all "therapeutic." Regardless of where she found herself, family, faith and friends were her guides.

Sally’s Catholic faith was a defining force in her life. Raised by a mother who instilled in her a deep devotion to Catholicism, she carried that faith throughout her life and instilled it in her own children. Early in life, she was active for many years at St. Dominic's Catholic Church (in Panama City) where she played the organ at Sunday Mass. In her later years, she and her husband Sam made annual spiritual retreats to Saint Joseph Abbey Retreat Center, setting aside time for prayer, reflection and devotion. In recent years, she continued to put her faith into action by bringing Holy Communion on Sundays to veterans in St. George, UT.

After finding one another later in life and sharing a twelve-year relationship, Sally and Samuel W. “Sam” Blimling were married in October 2009 at Resurrection Catholic Church in Miramar Beach, FL. Sam was Sally’s husband and dedicated companion through her 'later chapters,' also sharing their retirement years in Destin before eventually making homes in New Orleans and Kayenta (Ivins, UT). Together they traveled, welcomed family and friends into their homes, and returned often to the people and places they loved.

When living in and visiting New Orleans, Sally attended daily Mass at both Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church & International Shrine of St. Jude and St. Mary’s Chapel, becoming part of both faith communities. Her faith in the Holy Trinity was not simply something she professed; it was something she practiced, shared, lived, and encouraged others to live. Through everything, Sally put God first - making her faith the foundation of her strength and accomplishments and, perhaps, the most important legacy she taught her children. She often reminded them: “If you can even imagine it, God loves you more than I do.”

Sally is survived by her husband Sam, five of her six children: Suzanne Kelly-Morris (Gerald Morris), Jennifer Kelly-Serio (S. Barnett Serio III), Kevin M. Kelly (Karye Kelly), Brian N. Kelly (Kim Kelly), and Timothy D. Kelly (Lisa Kelly); her eight grandchildren: Jesica M. Kelly, Benjamin L. Kelly, Madeline K. Kelly, Rebecca F. Gosha (Kelly), Hannah G. Kelly, Elizabeth C. Kelly, Isabella Morris, and Ava T. Kelly; and six great-grandchildren: Skylee N. Kelly, Mackenzie Kelly, Madelyn Kelly, Travis Kelly, Sean Gosha, and Parker Gosha.

Sally was preceded in death by her parents, Andy C. McNeil and Betty K. McNeil; her eldest son, Patrick H. Kelly; her grandson, Jack E. Kelly; her brother, Cyril C. McNeil; and other beloved senior family members who went before her.

Sally’s greatest legacy cannot be measured by degrees earned, students taught, properties sold or professional accolades. It lives in her children and the generations that follow them, in Sam, in her loving friends, in the people whose lives she will always touch, and in the faith she shared. She will be remembered as a devoted wife and mother, matriarch, educator, accomplished real estate professional, woman of profound faith, trusted advisor, and loyal friend. Sally lived fully, loved generously and believed there was always another way to approach a challenge. She did not wait for tomorrow ... She did it NOW.

Relatives and friends are invited to join Sally’s family in celebrating her wonderful life at St. Jude Church, 437 N Rampart St, New Orleans on Friday, October 9, 2026. Visitation will be from 9:00 am to 10:00 am. Mass start at 10:00 am followed by a private burial for family at St. Joseph Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in Sally’s memory to Our Lady of Guadalupe Church (judeshrine.com) and Second Harvest Food Bank (www.no-hunger.org).