Sally was born April 28, 1952, in Hutchinson, MN to Shelby and Betty Svendsen who preceded her in death. She was the youngest of 3 sisters and is survived by both Mary (Ed) Van Eeckhout and Jane (Tom) Tapper. She graduated high school in 1970, then completed her Bachelor of Science in music education with emphasis in piano, voice, and French horn at Mankato State University in 1973 where she met and married the love of her life.

With her hard-working husband Steve by her side supporting her dreams, Sally took her high energy and bright smile changing many lives teaching music both privately and school settings. She wrote, produced, recorded, promoted, and performed countless educational children's music programs across the country sometimes with her own children in tow and in the show. She spoke at conventions, teaching educators how to utilize her writings and published numerous books.

Using her experience as a music teacher, she returned to school and received her Master's degree in transpersonal counseling psychology with a concentration in Music therapy at Naropa University in 2004. Following graduation, she began  work and licensing in internal family systems, play therapy and gestalt therapy. She then was in private practice for many years. During this time, she wrote and published books on public speaking and conscious performing. She combined her love or performing with her newly acquired psychology training and spoke at numerous conventions, working with people needing help with public speaking. You could always find her excited and busy with new ideas, coming up with fresh ways to educate and help people. She was all in for adventures and living each day to its highest potential while residing in Minnesota, Colorado, Ohio, California, and South Dakota. She loved travel, spending time with her kids and grandkids, hiking with her friends and dogs, drum circles, yoga, and exploring the outdoors to find just the right spot with the perfect view to enjoy her coffee and contemplate her next enterprise.

Sally leaves behind her devoted husband of 50 years, Steve Bonkrude, her children Anna (Chris) Schnorr with grandchildren Shelby, Jeffrey, and Hannah and Peter (Nicole) Bonkrude with grandchildren Linnea and Soren as well as her sisters Mary Van Eeckout and Jane Tapper.

Small celebrations of life will be held at a later date on her favorite hiking trails in Colorado, as well as at Belle Lake in Hutchinson, MN.