Sarah M. Dwyer, of Bryn Mawr, formerly of Merion, PA and Beach Haven, NJ., passed away on March 17, 2021 at The Bryn Mawr Hospital, in her 83rd year.  "Sally" was the middle of three daughters of the late Gerald S. and Elizabeth Grace Dwyer. She spent her childhood in Merion, and then went off to college, earning her BA at Immaculata College and later her Masters from Temple University.  She then returned to her hometown and taught 5th grade at Belmont Hills and later the Merion Elementary School for 42 years.  The students from her early years would visit her for a reunion at her Beach Haven vacation home every year for over 30 years.

Sally was in her classroom that tragic day in April of 1991 when an airplane carrying U.S. Senator John Heinz crashed on the school playground, killing everyone on board and two children who were on the playground for recess.  Worried about possible fire, and the horror of the sights outside, Sally rushed to the fence behind the school, opened it up and herded the children to a neighbor's house and safety.

As an elementary school teacher, Sally was used to being the "organizer".  She hosted an annual "All Girls" weekend at Beach Haven for her friends from her school days in Merion.

With her sister Elizabeth, she owned and managed a popular antiques store in Narberth, the Fairwinds Collection, and served as the President of the Narberth Business Association for 3 years.

Like many young girls, Sally fell in love with horses at an early age.  On a whim, she bought a yearling at an auction and then had one of her students ride it.  A noted trainer saw the horse and asked if he could work with it.  Several years later, Sally proudly looked on as her horse, Fairwinds Honey, won the blue ribbon in the Working Hunter class at the Devon Horse Show two years running, and was awarded Hunter Champion at the National Horse Show.

Sally's 15 minutes of fame came when she was picked by Channel 6 as one of the subjects of the Great American Smokeout.  She was a heavy smoker at the time, and so agreed to quit for a week, and then report on-camera about how she felt.  As soon as they turned the camera off, she went upstairs to sneak a cigarette.  While her "quit" did not last then, she was later able to quit for good.

Sally enjoyed cooking, and started a Gourmet Club for friends and students to share cooking tips and then eat the results!.  She has her students prepare menus and meals from different countries, to complement their geography lessons, but also to get them to try new foods and be open to other cultures.  She was also an avid bridge player, and when she retired to the Millridge community, she hosted the weekly bridge game at her home, and "discovered" pinochle as well.  In retirement, Sally read avidly.  She never took to the increasing role of computers in everyday life, preferring the face to face interaction where she could use her sense of humor to laugh and make others laugh with her.  A colleague remembered, "she had a wonderful sense of humor and was always telling funny stories about events in her life that were hysterical."

She is survived by her sister Elizabeth M. Dwyer.

A memorial service for friends may be held this summer, as Covid permits.