Sally Teahan

Sally Teahan, 61, peacefully passed away on October 11, 2021 in her home in Lenexa, KS surrounded by her family, after a courageous battle of almost 7 years with Mesothelioma. She will be remembered as a loving wife, mother, Nana, and friend.
Born on January 4, 1960 in Louisville, KY, Sally was adopted by Robert and Mary Frances Needham of Campbellsville, KY. As she grew, so did her love of family, faith, and animals as their small-town home sat adjacent to the veterinary clinic where her father held his practice. Her father unexpectedly passed away when she was 13 years old. Having no other siblings (of which she knew), Sally and her mom surrounded themselves with her mother’s close friends and they became like family. Graduating from Campbellsvile High School she went on to attend the University of Kentucky. On Spring Break of 1981, Sally and her friends found their way to Fort Lauderdale, FL. There she met the love of her life, Vince Teahan. After a year of correspondence and several road trips, both approved and unapproved, Vince successfully won over Sally’s mom and Sally followed him back to his home in Kansas. They married at Cure of Ars Catholic Church on August 19, 1983 and then settled in Kansas City, MO where they started raising their first two children, Rachel and Jessica. After a few years, they moved to the Kansas side where they have resided in their home in Lenexa for the past 30 years. Soon after settling into their new home, their son Sean came along, and a few years later they completed their family with the birth of their daughter Erin. Life from here on out was filled with sports, schooling, and many beautiful family traditions at JoAnn and Rich Teahan’s household. As her children progressed through Holy Trinity Catholic School, Sally was instrumental in establishing the school’s first fundraising auctions and so began a new chapter in her life. As her children moved into high school, the girls at Saint Thomas Aquinas and Sean at Rockhurst, so did her experiences in fundraising. She used her creative spirit, and love of a good party, to create an atmosphere of fun and fellowship. With her fun-loving and kind heart, Sally and Vince collected friends along the way through each fundraising year. Through these friends she came to be connected to the Kansans for Life organization. The Right to Life cause became something near and dear to her heart and she devoted her time and talent to raising money for them for the next 11 years. Sally’s life was now filled with her favorite things: watching the kids play sports, caring for their “zoo” of animals at home, game nights with friends, frequent trips to the library, and family dinners. Her love of planning events led to a new business venture called The Special Day. However, before she was able to get that off the ground, and in fact while in the midst of planning for a Kansans for Life auction, Sally could sense something was wrong with her health. Tests revealed a diagnosis of mesothelioma. Although this halted her new business and flipped her world upside down, she faced the news with grace and a warrior-like mentality. Through the talented doctors at the Baylor Lung Institute in Houston, TX, along with rounds of chemotherapy, Sally was cleared and would remain so for the next 3 years. She was adamant about not letting the cancer be what defined her life and set about to live as before, putting family, friends, and faith at the forefront. Unfortunately, a recurrence set her back on a path of numerous surgeries and cancer treatments. This time the University of Kansas Medical Center joined the team of doctors and specialists to aid Sally in her fight. And fight she did. Although pain accompanied her in everyday life, her positive and uplifting spirit never faltered. She brought smiles to all those around her with her constant outbreaks of song, well timed Southern sayings, and incredible knack for bringing all those she loved together for a fun time. In the last days, Sally was constantly surrounded by family and friends. Their home was filled with her favorite sounds, love and laughter.

She is survived by her husband, Vince Teahan and her children: Rachel Teahan Loetel and her husband Adam Loetel, Jessica Teahan Brown, Sean Teahan and his wife Taylor, Erin Teahan Mueller and her husband Kyle Mueller; five grandchildren: Gracelynn Brown, Addison Loetel, Emma Loetel, Harper Loetel, and Everly Mueller; recently discovered half-sisters Connie Rose, Terri Jennings, Linda Hultgren, Susan Shrout and many loved brother and sister-in-laws, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father Robert Needham, mother Mary Frances Russell Needham, and mother-in-law JoAnn Judy Teahan.
A Rosary will be prayed starting at 5 pm on Monday, October 18th at Cure of Ars Catholic Church, located at 9401 Mission Rd Leawood, KS 66206, followed by a visitation until 7:30 pm. Mass of Christian Burial will be held Tuesday, October 19th at 4:30 pm also at Cure of Ars Catholic Church. Given Sally’s love of bright colors, she requested that attendees forgo traditional black funeral attire. Please help us honor Sally’s memory by bringing flowers or donating to the Kansans for Life organization. The family would like to express their sincerest appreciation to Kansas City Hospice, KU Med Center, and the Baylor Medicine Lung Institute for their support, compassion, and devotion over these years. Assistance by Funeral Advocates, LLC and Signature Funerals.