Obituary of Sally S. Boatman

age 62 of Elmira Heights passed away at Arnot Ogden Hospital in Elmira on November 29, 2017, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born on September 20, 1955 in Oakland, CA to the late Alec and Jane Boatman. In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her sister, JoAnne Boatman. She is survived by her partner, Andrew Rutski and her only daughter, Jessica Boatman. Also, she is survived by her two sisters - Jeanette Boatman and Juda (Jerry) Carter, one brother - Tom (Minako) Boatman-Sakagami. In addition to her siblings, she is also survived by four nieces, one nephew, two grandnephews, and one grandniece; along with numerous cousins and other family members. Sally was a fighter who won battle after battle over the last four years, including two different cancers, until her body could not fight anymore. All the way she was beating the odds more than once because she was a hard fighter and survivor as she was known to be in her life. Although she did endure a lot of pain over those years, she always tried to put up a good front. Now the pain is finally over and she's in a better place. Sally was an avid reader with a book always in her hands, which sometimes meant she even fell asleep with it still in her hands. She loved hosting deck parties in the summer with family and friends. Her favorite party to host was her Christmas Eve party that she did right up until her health issues began. No one ever left her parties hungry and there were a lot of leftovers because she "cooked for an army like my mom taught me how to do". She worked as a secretary at many different places over the years until she had her health issues. Her boyfriend of 22 years, Andy, retired at the end of 2016, which made Sally very happy. They got to spend every day together until her death. She loved that. Also, she knew her daughter felt she was very important to her while understanding she had her own life. At Sally's request there will be no calling hours. Funeral arrangements or a memorial service will be made by the family at a later date.