Sallie J.S. Culbreth

Sallie Jayne Short Culbreth, a magical woman, was born on Jan. 22, 1954, tackled the world from the start, and left it peacefully in her home on Oct. 9, 2026, with a magic wand in her hand, surrounded by love.

She moved 21 times before she turned 18, living everywhere from Virginia to Germany to the Philippines.

Sallie and her family moved to Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines in 1971, where she met her future husband, Tim Culbreth, at Wagner High School. A year later, (to their families' dismay) they eloped and were married in Waxahachie, Texas. Over the next few years, they lived in Rockville, Maryland, and Colorado Springs, Colorado.

They had their daughter Anne in Colorado and lived there until they were called into the ministry in 1981. They picked up their lives and moved to Hot Springs, Arkansas, where their son Daniel was born in 1982. Tim and Sallie served together as the Executive Leadership of Teen Challenge of Arkansas and over the years, they helped thousands of residents get another chance at life.

Together they raised their two children, Anne and Dan (who are not hound dogs), in Hot Springs. Sallie instilled in her kids a passion for service and a healthy tolerance for misery. They took countless family trips, camping, skiing and backpacking. Sallie made sure her children had the opportunity to see a wide world, albeit at the expense of luxury.

Sallie earned her master's degree in clinical counseling from Capella University and founded the non-profit organization Committed to Freedom with her daughter Anne. Together they helped thousands of survivors recover from childhood sexual abuse and trauma all over the United States and the world.

Sallie was a pillar of the Hot Springs community. She served with Ouachita Children's Center and in 2019 Sallie became Executive Director of Cooperative Christian Ministries and Clinic. Sallie spent her life serving others and truly exemplified her faith, as shown in Matthew 25:40, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters, you did for me."

Sallie was an accomplished writer, both under her own name and her pen name Jae Elle. She wrote articles for several publications and published books in various genres. Her literary works include: "Despising the Shame" in 2003 (revised edition published in 2013), "Hope" in 2006, "No Longer Alone" in 2009, "The Broken Collective" in 2011, "Cigarette Girl" (written as Jae Elle) in 2013, "The Church of the Obvious" (written as Jae Elle) in 2013, "Uncaged Project" (co-written with Anne Quinn) in 2013, "Transmission of Shadows" (a revised edition of Cigarette Girl) in 2020, "The Way Forward" (co-written with Anne Quinn) in 2020, "Ghost Dance" in 2020, and Walsingham Academy Class of 1972: 50th Anniversary Class Reunion in 2022. Her unpublished works include: "Covered in the Same Dirt," "The Butterfly Tree" and many others.

Sallie's greatest passion and source of strength was her family.

She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Tim; her children, Anne and Dimitri Perros-Quinn of Hot Springs, Arkansas, and Daniel and Lindsey Culbreth of Benton, Arkansas; grandsons, Kian McMahan, Callahan Culbreth and Corbin Culbreth; the Perros children and of theirs; and countless people who know her as "mom" or "Grannie."

Services will be held from 2-3 p.m. on Oct. 16, 2026, at St. Luke's Episcopal Church, 228 Spring St., Hot Springs, AR 71901.

The family asks that, in lieu of flowers, a donation be made to Cooperative Christian Ministries Clinic, St. Luke's, or The Gary Sinise Foundation.

Arrangements are by Hot Springs Funeral Home

Online condolences athttp://www.hotspringsfh.com.

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