Sally Jane McIntosh, 65, of Murray, Kentucky, formerly of Mayfield, Kentucky, died Saturday, February 5, 2022, at Parkview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Paducah, Kentucky.
She was preceded in death by her father, Roy McIntosh; and her mother, Martha Jane Russell McIntosh.
Sally was a faculty member of Murray State University, where she had until recently taught English 105, “Critical Reading, Writing, and Inquiry.” Her areas of specialization were Composition and Rhetoric, for which her students voted her “12th Highest Rate Teacher in the Nation” on the MTVU website “ratemyprofessors.com.”
A graduate of Mayfield High School, Sally was valedictorian of her senior class. She later received Bachelor of Science degrees in English and Chemistry from Murray State University, followed by a Master of Arts degree in English (Composition and Rhetoric), and earned twenty-one additional hours beyond her Master’s in Modern British and American Literature.
Sally was also a member of the National Council of Teachers of English. She attended First Baptist Church.
Despite several surgeries and physical setbacks, Sally remained highly enthusiastic about returning to work at Murray State University, and had already requested a copy of a newly adopted textbook she hoped to teach from as soon as she could resume her classroom duties.
Sally regularly expressed tremendous affection for her years at Murray State University as both student and instructor, and spoke highly of the classmates, colleagues, and coworkers she met there over the years.
On the Murray State University website, Sally provided a brief statement expressing both her philosophy of teaching and her approach to getting along well with others in daily life: “I teach mainly Freshmen Composition classes, which all students must take but many would rather not! Therefore, I try to teach the class where the students understand the importance of effective written communication in our global society. My enjoyment of the class comes from the students themselves, who must get along with other students who are not just from other areas of Kentucky, or the United States, but from other countries and are of different races, cultures and religions. The environment I try to create in the classroom is one of understanding, cooperation, and compromise–some of the same elements I attempt to get across to students in the essays we read in class to create ideas for writing assignments.”
Graveside services for Sally Jane McIntosh will be 1:00 p.m. on Friday, February 11, 2022 at Highland Park Cemetery. Bro. Kody Hopwood will officiate. Interment will follow.
Visitation will be 11:00 a.m. – 12:45 p.m. on Friday at Byrn Funeral Home in Mayfield, Kentucky.
Expressions of sympathy in memory of Sally may be made to: The English and Philosophy Dept. Scholarship at Murray State University. Make checks payable to: MSU Foundation, Murray State Office for Development, 200 Heritage Hall, Murray, KY 42071. Be sure to put English and Philosophy Dept. Scholarship on the memo line. Or make a secure gift online at murraystate.edu/givenow and search for the funds name under “other designations.”