Sally B. Tammes

Sally B. Tammes, 83, Rockford, passed away at Wesley Willows Health Center on Tuesday, July 11, 2023. She was born July 27, 1939, in Holstein, Iowa, the daughter of Ivan and Opal (Crane) Blackmer. Sally married Dr. A. R. Tammes in Edwardsville on October 1, 1965. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Iowa and her master’s degree in Allied Health from the University of Illinois. Sally worked as a medical technologist at Canfield Clinic before becoming an instructor of Microbiology for nursing students at Rockford College (now Rockford University). She then taught weightlifting and fitness classes at Rock Valley College until her retirement. Sally was an active member of Evans United Methodist Church and a longtime volunteer at the Corpus Christi Monastery of the Poor Clares. She was one of the founders of Northern Illinois Hospice and remained active with them for many years. Sally was a lifelong advocate of personal fitness and spent many hours at the Rockford YMCA.

Survived by her loving husband of 57 years, Art; her twins, John (Kathy) Tammes of Elgin and Mary Choice of Fox Point, WI; her grandchildren, Steven and Chris Tammes and Chloe and Samuel Choice; her sisters, Bonnie Blackmer and Sue (Jim) Thompson.

Graveside services will be held at 11:00 A.M on Saturday, September 2, 2023, at Arlington Memorial Park Cemetery. Fitzgerald Funeral Home and Crematory assisted the family. Memorials may be made to Evans United Methodist Church, 7605 N. 2nd St. Machesney Park, IL 61115 or the Corpus Christi Monastery of the Poor Clares, 2111 S. Main St. Rockford, IL 61102. Share online condolences at www.fitzgeraldfh.com.