Sallie Geneva SargentSallie Geneva Sargent, 97, passed away on Saturday, July 22, 2017 at the Blue Water Hospice Home in Marysville. She was born on November 22, 1919 to Wilson and Helen Allen in Williamston, NC .Sallie graduated high school at the age of 17, attended The Roanoke Rapids Hospital School of Nursing completing the training with honors.  Sallie's nursing training and the beginning of her professional nursing career overlapped with the entry of the United States into World War II. Based on her exceptional medical skills in nursing, Sallie was stationed at a series of military bases including. Fort Bragg, NC, Fort Lee, VA and Fort Rucker, AL and moved rapidly up through the ranks as a commissioned officer, ultimately with classified status.During her military service, Sallie met and married Dr. Richard C. Sargent on February 5, 1949 in Roanoke Rapids, NC he preceded her in death on May 17, 1977.  Following the war, Sallie and Dick moved north to the Detroit area where they served together on the staff of the Grace Hospital and later established their own OB/GYN private practice.Sallie's lifetime of service as a nurse as well as her special contributions as a member of the Army Corps of Nurses has been celebrated through a host of awards, including special recognitions from The American Red Cross, The United Way,  Father Flanagan's Boy's Home, The Port Huron Hospital,  the , and, most notably, our country's "Liberty Award" ---honoring Sallie's devotion, patriotism, and service in the United States Military as an integral part of our national defense and heritage.As a charter member of The Women in Military Service Memorial ---the only major national memorial honoring the women who have served and defended America throughout our country's history, Sallie's inspiring years of service as a nurse and commissioned officer in the United States Military will be memorialized and celebrated forever in a research exhibit being prepared for the Women's Memorial, located on the 1.2 acres Ceremonial Entrance to Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C., where the founding premise epitomizes Sallie's lifelong service and devotion as a nurse and as a defender of our Nation: "Let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom" ---Anne S. (Soch) Brehm 1Lt., U.S.A., NC, WWII.Sallie was preceded in death by her parents; her two brothers, Henry Allen and Warren Ray Allen, brother in law; Dr. William Sargent.A funeral service will take place on Saturday, July 29, 2017 at 11:00 a.m. visiting beginning at 10:00 a.m. in Smith Family Funeral Home - North. A graveside committal service will follow at Memphis Cemetery under the auspices of the St. Clair County Allied Veterans Honor Guard.Memorials may be made to The Disabled Veterans Association or to worthy and verified cat and dog rescue organizations. Visit www.smithfamilyfuneralhome.com to send family condolences.