Sally Diamond Willey's Obituary
Sally Diamond Wiley passed away in Edison, New Jersey on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at the age of 80. She had moved to New Jersey last October to be closer to her son Jason and his family.
Sally was born in Winnemucca, Nevada, 1945. She prided herself on being Nevada born. She grew up in the San Francisco Bay area, graduating from Holy Names High School in 1963.
In her formative years, Sally dedicated herself to raising her three boys, supporting her family as a securities broker administrative assistant. She married Michael Wiley, an Oakland Department Fire Lieutenant over a leap year in Tahoe Nevada. They always joked that they could only celebrate their anniversary every four years, yet they celebrated over three decades of marriage.
The couple moved to Gardnerville, Nevada in 2001. Sally immersed herself in her new community. She was an active congregant of St. Gall’s Church, serving in a variety of capacities. She participated in a wide range of service-based organizations including Carson Valley Sertoma club, both Sierra Nevada and Douglas County Republican Women Clubs, and the community Food Bank. She was also very active in Blue Star Moms as her son was serving as a Staff Sargent in the Army overseas.
On February 15, 2009, Staff Sgt. Sean Diamond was killed in action while serving his third tour as an Army engineer. This tragic turning point changed the direction of Sally’s service to her community writ large. She had been sending packages overseas to Sean and his fellow service men; she turned this into her a decade’s long commemoration for her son, Sean. She started sending Troop Care Packages to service personnel overseas. Thousands of packages were sent over the course of several years as this project grew organically out of Sally and Michael’s garage. She also was an active member of the non-profit Honor Flight Nevada. She also served as a Commissioner for the Nevada Office of Veteran’s Services. Whenever Sally met someone who was serving or had served in the US Armed Forces she went out of her way to thank them for their service. This was her life mission.
Sally was preceded in death by her husband Michael Wiley, Son Staff. Sgt. Sean Diamond and her parents, Derrel and Ella Mae Fulwider.
Sally is survived by her sons Michael Diamond and Jason (Melissa) Diamond, her step-son Derrick (Chrissy) Wiley, her daughter-in-law Lora May Diamond (Sean’s widow), her sisters Judith Dickson and Maria (Steve) Sudduth. She is survived by 12 grandchildren and several cousins, nieces and nephews.
There will be a 10:00 mass dedication said for Sally on January 11th, 2026 at St. Gall’s Catholic Church, Gardnerville, Nevada.
Donations can be made to:
Honor Flight Nevada
Post Box 21123
Reno Nevada 89515
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