Violet "Sally" Rae Dlugatch passed away Saturday morning, March 7th, 2026, after a short illness. Sally was born July 12th, 1936, in South Fallsburg to Oscar "Brick" Burger and Hazel Cross Burger, the second of three children. Sally graduated from Fallsburg High School in 1954 and immediately began working for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company (AT&T) as a telephone operator until the late 1960s. In 1961, Sally met her husband, Donald "Don" Dlugatch, of 64 years. They married on February 24, 1962. Their son, John David, was born with spina bifida on September 20, 1962, and would pass away almost a year later on September 10, 1963. They had a daughter, Diane Stacy (Dlugatch) Helms, on November 9, 1964. Like many growing up in the Borscht Belt, she eventually moved on to work at The Pines Hotel as a telephone operator until 1972, connecting outside calls to hotel guests. In 1976, after being a stay-at-home mother, she began working for the Fallsburg Central School District as Cafeteria Staff until retiring in 2010. She became a grandmother on July 11, 1988, to her granddaughter Amanda (Helms) Ybañez and again later on December 25, 1989, to her grandson Robert D. Helms. She became a great grandmother on January 17, 2022, to her great granddaughter and namesake, Isla Rae Ybañez.

Sally is predeceased by her husband, Donald "Don" Dlugatch, son, John David Dlugatch, parents, Hazel & Oscar "Brick" Burger, sister, Thelma Bechuck, & son-in-law Robert A. Helms. She is survived by her daughter Diane Helms of Tupper Lake, Granddaughter Amanda (Helms) Ybañez & her husband Joseph, of Carthage, grandson, Robert "Bobby" D. Helms of Tupper Lake, Great Granddaughter, Isla R. Ybañez, Foreign Exchange Grandson, Marek Sedlák, of Bratislava, Slovakia, her sister, Janet Burger Moss of Callicoon and several nieces and nephews.

Sally was as cautious and safe as her husband was reckless and fearless. She was the first to tell you to be careful and the first to tell you, "I told you so" when you got hurt. She supported her husband in all his endeavors from being prominent members of the CSEA family, he as president and she as treasurer for over 20 years, to watching him shoot at the local Rod & Gun Club. She was a constant presence in her grandchildren's lives, even when they moved five hours away, coming up almost every weekend, taking them on spring breaks and for stretches of time in the summer. At 4'10 she could barely see over the steering wheel but would be your biggest advocate. She was at hockey games and volleyball games, helped her granddaughter move in and out of college dorms and the sorority house, and offered up her car for her granddaughter's road test at 16. She burnt burgers in the broiler and then blamed it on the broiler or her husband for feeding the cow too much corn and always had vanilla ice cream in the freezer. She was close with her great granddaughter, savoring daily visits and meals at the nursing home and hearing about her day. She enjoyed lively conversations with her grandson-in-law; he could always make her laugh. She lived a quiet, unassuming life and was content living in the home her father built.

Memorial visitation will be at Colonial Family Funeral Home 396 State Route 52 Woodbourne, NY from 2-4pm on Wednesday, March 11, 2026.

Arrangements were under the care of Colonial Memorial Funeral Home for further information please call 845-437-7363 or visit www.colonialfamilyfuenralhomes.com.