September 9, 1938 ~ July 23, 2024
Sallie Rutherford Falzone lived her life to the fullest. Her adventures and accomplishments are numerous and inspiring. She was born September 9th, 1938 to George Lawrence and Alma Rutherford in Greenville, Texas, where she spent the early years of her life. These were joyful years by all accounts, where she spent many days with her aunts, uncles, and cousins who also lived in Greenville. Having no brothers or sisters, the Greenville cousins were like siblings. The family moved to Dallas when she was a teenager. The adventures continued there, and at one point she flew a plane under the direction of her father Larry, a civilian test pilot. She attended the University of Texas at Austin and graduated around 1960 with her bachelor’s degree, a rare feat for women in those days. After college she worked as a buyer for Neiman Marcus in Dallas. She was also an adept seamstress, and sewed many beautiful dresses.
When an opportunity arose to work for the USO, she took the job and moved to Europe, where she lived in Paris for a time, and then moved to Germany. There she met and married Richard Falzone. They moved to New York when his time in the army was finished, and soon after their son Richard was born. Richard Sr. got a job in Texas, so they moved to Houston. Not too long after she had two more children, David and Rachel. Sallie and Richard divorced, but continued working together to co-parent. She spent most of the rest of her life in Houston. She began a long and successful career in real estate, and was a household name in the northwest Houston real estate market. One of the things she did in addition to her real estate career was volunteering and giving back. She spent time teaching adults to read. She did charitable work with vulnerable groups like women, minorities, and the homeless.
At some point she decided she wanted to do more for people, so she left her real estate career and went back to school in her fifties to earn her master’s degree in social work. She specialized on helping battered women, working with Northwest Assistance Ministries in Houston. This is where she met her partner Claude LaBrosse, another social worker who specialized in helping rehabilitate men who battered women. They worked in the prison system teaching life skills to inmates, to prepare them for their transitions back to society. They also worked on an AIDS care team. This was in the early days of the AIDS crisis. Many of the patients did not have good support, had been abandoned by friends and family, and needed care in their final days. She was a member of Cypress Creek Christian Church in Houston, where she served on the interfaith council. Here she met with leaders from other faiths, trying to find common ground to work together on social issues.
After retiring Sallie continued to volunteer. She was also an accomplished craftsperson. She painted, sewed, did needlepoint, and stained glass. She built, painted, and decorated an elaborate and realistic dollhouse that was beautiful. She was also a lover of animals, especially birds. She had a quick wit and great sense of humor, and many, many friends. She helped so many people in her life it is hard to recall them all. Her book club friends meant so much to her. She will be greatly missed by her friends and family.
Sallie is survived by three children Richard Lawrence Falzone, David August Falzone, Rachel Elizabeth Falzone, and four grandchildren Richard Anthony Falzone, Celeste Josephine Falzone, Lilah Rae August, and Willow James Falzone.
A memorial service will be held at a later date in Greenville, Texas.
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