Dr. Sally Preski

Dr. Sally Ann Preski of Erie, PA, succumbed to Alzheimer’s disease at the age of 83 and passed away on Saturday, November 21, 2020. 

Sally was born in Detroit, MI, on September 7, 1937, first-born daughter of the late Frank Joseph and Ann Catherine Drumm Przybylski (Preski). She married after high school and left her city life to raise her family on a farm in Waterford, PA. She instilled in her seven children a love for cooking and enjoying good company and good food; a knack for growing abundant gardens; and an abiding appreciation for horseback riding, ice skating and camping, outdoor adventures and, in particular, the restorative powers of a good beach. 

At the age of 40 Sally decided to pursue higher education, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing from Edinboro University. She worked at Saint Vincent Health Center as a registered nurse in orthopedics and critical care before pursing advanced nursing degrees at the prestigious University of Texas at Austin, TX, where she earned her Master's degree in Psychiatric Nursing and achieved her PhD in Parent-Child Nursing. She taught graduate-level nursing at universities across the United States from 1993 until her retirement in 2004, including positions at Wichita State University, Kansas; Texas A&M University at Corpus Christi, Texas; University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD; and Edinboro University, Edinboro, PA.

In addition to teaching, Sally worked tirelessly throughout her post-doctorate career to improve the lives of others through continued research, publishing multiple articles related to mental health and welfare in top nursing and pediatrics journals, and presenting her research findings at international nursing and mental health conferences. She was particularly proud to serve as a member of a task force on family violence and to co-author a resource manual for understanding and treating survivors of family violence.

Sally is a breast cancer survivor, undergoing a mastectomy and several rounds of chemotherapy in her early 70’s. She never let it slow her down; she never complained about it, and she continued to fully embrace a very active life. Some of her most enjoyable times included tent camping every May and June in the Texas heat to fully immerse herself in the annual 18-day Kerrville Folk Festival. She proudly wore a Texas Longhorns ball cap at the folk festival to cover her bare head after her chemo treatments. 

No matter where she lived after leaving Pennsylvania, there was always a part of Sally that drew her back “deep in the heart of Texas; she moved to New Braunfels, Texas, in her 70s and lived there for a few years before her disease caught up with her; she then moved back to Erie to live close to her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. 

In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her long-time friend and companion, Ralph Mesick, and sons-in-law Howard Hopkins and Scott Mesick. 

Survivors include her sister, Janice Carrier, and brother-in-law, Jerome Carrier, of Rochester Hills, MI; brother, Michael Preski, of Detroit, MI; her previous husband and father to their seven children, David E. Dahlkemper, of Erie, PA; and her seven children: Mary Lee Futch of New Braunfels, TX; Mark Edward Dahlkemper of Punta Gorda, FL; Christi Marie Dahlkemper of Edinboro, PA; Patrice Helene Mesick of Union City, PA; Laura Ann Dahlkemper of Erie, PA; Karen Rose Tuzynski of Erie, PA; and Andrew Kerwin Dahlkemper of Carmel Valley, CA. Further surviving are eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren, as well as many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. 

Private arrangements are entrusted to Burton Quinn Scott Cremation & Funeral Services, Inc. Downtown, 602 W. 10^th St., Erie.

Send condolences at www.burtonfuneralhome.com. Instead of spending your money to send flowers, cards or other gifts of condolence to Sally’s survivors, please consider donating in Sally’s honor to the Alzheimer’s Association at www.alz.org so we can support those impacted by dementia and continue the fight to end this tragic disease.