Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

May 19, 2025

Sarah “Sally” McKenzie High, 90, died peacefully at The Sharon in Charlotte, NC, on May 19, 2025. Born Sarah White McKenzie on January 21, 1935, in Wilmington, NC, she was the daughter of Thomas Milton McKenzie and Annie Maie McKenzie. Her early childhood was spent at her much-loved Lake Waccamaw. Later moving to Whiteville, NC, she grew up among extended family and friends. Graduating from Whiteville High, she attended Salem College in Winston-Salem, NC. At a homecoming dance while in high school, she met Paul Morgan “Pete” Page. They married on Thanksgiving Day in 1955 and were married for 24 years.

Settling in Whiteville, they lived in the family home on Jefferson Street, raising their children, Paul and Sarah. Sally shared her love of family, food, literature, and nature with her children. She encouraged Paul and Sarah to explore life and to seek and understand new experiences. Sally was notable for her wit and her warm humor. Together, she and Pete enjoyed bridge and gardening. Sally’s trips with her friends, the “Riding Buddies,” to historic homes and gardens were times of fellowship and adventure. As a teacher, she facilitated school readiness for students entering primary school. Together, Pete and Sally opened Court Square Store, a hardware, gift, and garden store. In addition, Sally was of the third generation to manage her family’s business, McKenzie Mortuary.

Upon Pete’s tragic death in 1980, Sally’s tenacity and independence enabled her to continue the hardware store. Sally’s grace and compassion were evident as she cared for family and friends throughout her life.

Sally later married James Charles “Jim” High of Whiteville following the untimely loss of his wife, Carolyn. Jim and Sally were married 32 years. These were special years for Sally. She and Jim built a home at Lake Waccamaw, a long-held wish of hers, and enjoyed summers at Sunset Beach, NC. Sally’s genuine gifts for gardening and cooking enhanced their later years. Jim and Sally traveled widely in the U.S. and Europe. Theirs was an active schedule of concerts, opera, and sporting events at UNC and NC State. A successful blended family was important to her and to Jim. She formed strong bonds with Jim’s children, Les and Stuart, whom she had known from birth, and delighted in all six grandchildren.

Following Jim’s death in 2019, Sally moved to The Sharon retirement community to be near Sarah, who cared for her as Sally cared for her mother. She again created a welcoming home and enjoyed new friendships. In her last years, her great-grandchildren, Eloise and Owen, brought her special joy.

Sally was an active member of First Baptist Church in Whiteville, serving as president of the Women’s Mission Organization and on several pastor search committees. She later joined Sarah and Allen as a member of First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. She was a member of the Aza-Mellia Garden Club and the Columbus County Fine Arts Committee. Sally and others mentored young women at Southeastern Community College, preparing them to enter the business world.

Sally was predeceased by her parents, her sister Anne McKenzie Powell, and her husbands, Paul Morgan Page and James Charles High. She is survived by her son, Paul Milton Page of Vestavia Hills, AL; her daughter, Sarah Page Shifflet, and husband Allen of Charlotte; Jim’s son, Leslie Thompson High, and wife Becky of Whiteville; and Jim’s daughter, Stuart High Rogers, and husband Keith of Lake Waccamaw.

Her grandchildren are Paul Royer Shifflet of Memphis, TN; Anna Shifflet Greig, her husband Robert, and their children, Eloise McKenzie Greig and Owen Charles Greig of Red Hook, NY; Carolyn High McElwee and husband Nathan of Wilmington, NC; Margaret Stuart High of Chicago, IL; Parker Thayer Nance and wife Madison of Atlanta, GA; and Elizabeth Nance Kneisel and husband Alexander of Charlotte.

A celebration of the life of Sally McKenzie High will be held Friday, June 13, at 1:00 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church in Charlotte. The family will receive friends immediately following the service at the church. A private burial will occur at a later time. For those unable to attend in person, please follow this link to the livestream on the First Presbyterian Church website: https://firstpres-charlotte.org/watch/

Sally’s family is deeply appreciative of the care and friendship of Mary John Boswell and Bernadette Mahabir.

Memorials may be made to Rube McCray Memorial Library, 301 Flemington Drive, Lake Waccamaw, NC 28450, and Families First, P.O. Box 1776, Whiteville, NC 28472.

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606.  Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.