Sally Vee Tippets

In the early hours of November 29, 2024 shortly after midnight, Sally Vee Tippets (née Anderson; born: December 6, 1947 in Salt Lake City, UT) bravely let go of her body and crossed through the veil at the age of 77 in Layton, UT. 

Though death is a journey we face alone, vigil was held on both sides. On this side, by two of her faithful daughters and, on the other, by her loved ones who have already crossed over. These include her husband Terry Lynn Tippets, her parents, and many others. Although the bulk of the work was in her hands, she was never alone on her journey.

For those who knew her, forgetting her is literally impossible. The immensity of her heart and spirit was the first thing one noticed about her, the second her fiery red hair, followed closely by her intense green eyes and her bewitching smile. 

When Sally got her heart set on something, nothing could stop her. Her brother taught her to read at the age of three and from then on she was a force to be reckoned with. She skipped grades in school while growing up in Wales and Spring City, Utah, graduated at seventeen and then went to college, where she obtained her Bachelor’s. Eventually she met her first husband, Calvin Grotepas, at the publishing company Deseret Press, where she was a typesetter and he ran a printing press. 

She was a hopeless romantic and fell in love at first sight, and eventually landed him—because she was that unstoppable. Five daughters later—all given the most romantic names she could possibly think of (French)—she once again harnessed that unsinkable-Molly-Brown nature and divorced Calvin in 1987, when divorce was almost unheard of, to save herself and her kids. 

At the time, she ran her own type-setting business, Characters, Inc, in Salt Lake City, while balancing the responsibilities of raising five daughters and somehow never faltering. During this time, she kept close ties with her mother in central Utah, and her sister, Linda, who lived next door. Together, Sally and Linda managed to raise what felt like forty thousand kids, many animals, and even a slew of bees. 

A year or so later, she met the love of her life, Terry, with whom she eloped in 1988. They shared a mutual love of reading and the arts of all kinds. They were both passionate about family, hardback books, and drives through the mountains on Sundays after a big family dinner. They were mad for the opera and ballet and they both loved friendly competition over who would get to read the newest Terry Brooks book first. They were always going to run away together, and eventually they did, when all the kids were grown up and had moved out of the house.

Sally will be sorely missed. We believe that she is now with her deceased family, including her husband of 32 years, Terry Lynn Tippets, her mother, father, and three brothers. She will never be forgotten by her eight children: Kelly (Mark), Danielle (Jason), Nicole, Anjanette (Nathan), Lynn (Melissa), Jana (Brett), Cassi (Aaron), and Leslie (Justin). She will also be remembered by her sister, Linda (Larry) and her 6 children, as well as 22 grandchildren. 

A preliminary viewing will be held on Thursday, December 5th at Russon Brothers in Farmington (1941 N Main) from 6 - 8 pm. Another viewing will take place on Friday, December 6th at the LDS Church in Kaysville (1449 S Thoroughbred Dr) from 9:45 - 10:45 am. After a family prayer, services will commence at 11 am, followed by the graveside dedication at 12:30 pm in the Farmington City Cemetery (500 S 200 E). 

Services will be streamed live on the Russon Mortuary Live Facebook page and on this obituary page. The live stream will begin 10-15 minutes prior to services, and will be posted below.