Sally Thurber Dennison (Nov. 9, 1941-Aug. 29, 2025)

If Sally chose you as one of her people, you gained a mother who loved you unconditionally, who showed up to care for you when you needed it and who was always curious about what was going on in your life.

You gained a sister with whom you felt free to be yourself — messy or amazing — and who deeply knew and understood you.

And in Sally, you gained the very best kind of friend. Sally celebrated you, thrilled at your accomplishments and told everyone how amazing you were to the point you believed it, too. Sally left you feeling really, really great about yourself. 

Sally, purple hair spiked and always wearing tie-dye, was the life of any gathering, making things more interesting and much more fun. Sally loved to eat and make great food, to laugh and most of all to tell stories (and her stories were the best). 

A Hollywood casting director, Sally cast Close Encounters of the Third Kind for Steven Spielberg. She fought to cast Jodie Foster in The Accused — director Jonathan Kaplan wanted one of the glam blondes of the time — but when Jodie Foster won the Oscar, Jonathan publicly honored Sally for “convincing” him to cast Jodie. She was involved in writing the famous campfire scene in Blazing Saddles. Sally worked with Jane Fonda on The China Syndrome and she cast RoboCop, Heathers and dozens of others.

The day before her passing, 83-year-old Sally bopped up the steps of a friend’s home for their weekly lunch and movie date with a bunch of flowers and a bottle of bubbly called Do Epic Sh*t.  

“I bought it for the name,” Sally laughed. 

And that was exactly how our beloved Sally lived her life: doing (and being) Epic and inspiring us to do the same. 

We will celebrate Sally on Tuesday, Oct 7 from 5-8 p.m. at 113 Main restaurant in downtown Sandpoint. It’s a potluck with a cash bar. Bring your favorite stories and wear your best tie-dye.

Submitted by Dawyna Clarine.