Sara Badger Graham 'Sally' Vann (Badger)

Sara “Sally” Badger Graham Vann of McClellanville, SC died on Tuesday, December 15th, 2015.Sally was born May 29th, 1921 in Columbia, SC to Benjamin Mood Badger and Loretto McKain Badger. She grew up in the lowcountry and was the eldest sister to siblings Benjamin “Sonny” Badger Jr., Alston Calhoun Badger, and Jean Badger Lynn. Sally attended the College of Charleston, Class of 1941. During her time there she enrolled as the only female to take part in a Federal pilot training program, which culminated in a solo roundtrip flight from Charleston to Savannah. When she returned she hurried to her scheduled class and became the first woman to wear slacks at the College of Charleston. The act was delightfully indicative of her approach to life and its obstacles. After graduation Sally accepted a teaching position in the tiny, remote village of McClellanville. There she met T.W. Graham Jr. (1902-1968) and they married in 1942. Sally embraced her life in the village and documented its daily details in an award winning newspaper column published weekly in the Georgetown Times. In 1972 Sally married David Vann. They lived for seven years in Germany, traveling throughout Europe and enjoying many wonderful adventures. Sally later resided in David’s hometown of Monroe, NC until he died in 2002. She then returned to McClellanville where she continued to share priceless accounts of the past while surrounded by wonderful friends and family. Sally is survived by her four children, T.W. Graham III (Tommy) and his wife Sara, Benjamin Graham (Ben), William Graham (Billy) and his wife Ceil, and Beth Graham. Her grandchildren are Eve Balding (Matt), Rigel Graham (John), Tom Graham, Ben Floyd (Peni), Sara Allison Drayton (Charles), Rett McClellan (Jake), Christopher Holmes, Sally Racine (Glenn), and Elizabeth Holmes. She has nine great-grandchildren and many beloved nieces and nephews. A service will be held Saturday, December 19, 2015 at 11AM at the St. James Santee Chapel of Ease in McClellanville. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to The McClellanville Arts Council, 733 Pinckney Street, McClellanville, SC 29458.