Donor and community treasure Sally Risberg gives us an inspiring lesson in living well at any age

“You don’t just go [to Memorial] for the excellent medical care; you go for the personal care.”

Sally Risberg is a force of nature. Active in her senior living community, 90-year-old Sally has a schedule that rivals the average 45-year-old. She served on the resident council, and when her term was up this year, she became the chair of the visual arts committee. In her role, she curates new art every two months for two main corridors in the senior center and plans receptions for the featured artists — some residents and many noted outside artists. 

She also plays competitive bocce ball and is serious about winning. “We have almost 200 people playing bocce this year, and it’s super competitive,” she laughs. “We’re practicing, and our coach says we’d better do well this year.”  

A busy, happy life  

Born in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1932, Sally went to Middlebury College in Vermont, where she majored in psychology. “It was a fabulous small and very good liberal arts college,” she remembers. “When I graduated, I knew I wanted to do something tied to psychology.”  

She went on to Yale and did research work in psychiatry. “It was fascinating, but the best part was meeting my husband, Don,” she smiles. “He was about to graduate and, at that time, was required to give two years of military service. We married in 1955 and had a two-year honeymoon in Fontainebleau, France, courtesy of the U.S. Army.”  

When the couple returned from Europe, they settled in New England. Don worked as an insurance actuary, and Sally was a busy mother of two and a volunteer. In her 40s, when her kids were preparing to leave for college, she decided to go to grad school and become a high school guidance counselor.  

“I’d watched teens and what they went through, and I wanted to help,” she says. “I got my master’s degree and landed a job in a high school guidance department. I also served as the school’s golf coach. I was there for 16 years and sent many kids out into the world.”  

According to Sally, she and Don played a lot of golf, including a dream trip to St. Andrews at age 55. Sally had an inspiration at the 18th hole and proposed to Don that she take a course at the storied golf institution. St. Andrews staff were so impressed by her resume and admission letter that they offered her a spot on the faculty for a semester.  

“It was amazing,” she shares. “I was a liaison between the university and prospective students. I traveled all over Scotland and Wales. That was special.”  

When Don and Sally, who were the same age, turned 63, they retired. Their son, living in California, encouraged them to move west. “We settled in the Santa Rosa community of Oakmont and stayed for 22 years,” she says.  “We left the snow and found the sun and blue skies, and we were happy here.”  

When the couple turned 87, they moved to Spring Lake Village, which Sally says is a great community. 

Giving back was part of the plan  

Don and Sally felt strongly about giving back and supporting the hospital at which they’d both received excellent care. “The hospital was upgrading its three cardiac cath labs, so we gave our contribution to that cause,” says Sally. “Providence Santa Rosa Memorial is the main trauma center from San Francisco to Oregon. The hospital has done a lot of avant-garde planning for the future. They are at the leading edge.”  

Sally has a special place in her heart for Memorial Hospital’s staff, especially Tomas Vasiliauskas, M.D. (known to Sally as “Dr. V.”)   “All of the staff are very committed,” she says. “You don’t just go for the excellent medical care; you go for the personal care. It shows everyone I’ve met there. Dr. V exemplifies the culture of caring. He really pays attention and connects with you.”  

Recently widowed, Sally remains grateful for her lifetime of love with Don. “We had 64 wonderful years,” she says. “We’ve been lucky.”