Sally J. Maisel

Sally J. Maisel June 22, 1951- September 10, 2023 Sally Joyce Maisel passed away on Sunday, September 10, 2023 after a brutal battle with ALS. ALS won. ALS always wins. Sally was born in Chicago and grew up in Highland Park, Illinois, where she had a happy childhood and the advantage of an excellent educational system for which she was always grateful. After graduation from HPHS, she spent four years at the University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh where she majored in Journalism, while also working as a Resident Assistant for three years. After college, she joined the Crystal Lake Herald as a reporter, feature writer and photographer. This led her to furthering her education at Northern Illinois University, where she earned her Master\'s degree as well as working as a Teaching Assistant. A year later, she did her doctoral work at Northwestern University in Radio-TV-Film while working as a Research Assistant. After Northwestern, Sally moved to California with the idea of a serious career in academia. That idea flew out the window when she was seduced by the bells and whistles and lights of game shows. She handled just about every above-the-line job there was: contestant coordina­tor, prize coordinator, various producer jobs, plus her favorite: Question-and-Answer writer. During hiatus time, Sally discovered her love of travel and was able to combine her writing background and adventures in foreign places into articles for travel magazines like Porthole and Cruise Travel. This combination led to the publication of her book, Cruising Solo: The Single Traveler\'s Guide to Adventures on the High Seas. ALS, alas, cancelled her passport but Sally was able to enjoy her memories of hiking in the Amazon forest, kissing the Blarney Stone, wandering through Istanbul\'s Grand Bazaar, raising a stein at Munich\'s famous Oktoberfest or riding a camel through the Sahara Desert. Sally also enjoyed participating in community organizations and efforts. She spent more than ten years affiliated with Los Angeles Community Action Network (LACAN) as an events volunteer, committee co-chair and member of the board of directors. She checked off two items on her bucket list: working on PBS fundraisers and helping to decorate the City of Pasadena\'s floats for the Rose Parade. Sally also allied with various organizations putting her knitting to good use for Stitches from the Heart. She created and reached her personal goal of knitting 1,000 hand-knit caps for premature babies. She then made 100 baby sweaters with matching hats and booties for County-USC Hospital. She then joined up with Knots of Love and went on to knit 345 chemo caps before ALS stilled her hands and quieted the soothing click of her knitting needles. Survivors include beloved brothers, Rich (Terre) Maisel of Tucson, AZ, and Tom Maisel, Chicago, IL; adored nephew and niece, Phillip Maisel of San Francisco, CA, and Juliet Maisel of Portland, OR; and her cherished friends, especially Jean, Chris, Elissa and Jane, as well as the hundreds of people she met though her life and travels. The services were held on September 14, 2023 at Mt. Sinai Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills, CA. Donations in Sally\'s memory may be made to: ALS Association Golden West Chapter or The Motion Picture Palliative Care Fund-Palliative Care Rabbi Fund.