Sally O’Neal grew up on a farm in Union City, Oklahoma, during the Great Depression. She remembers the dust in the air, the glow of oil lamps, working for every meal, and hearing birds sing in the dark, early hours of the morning. Eventually, her family moved to Wheatland, a small rural town that has since become a neighborhood along Highway 152 in Southwest Oklahoma City. Raised in the Baptist Church, Sally would go on to marry, settle in the Oklahoma City area, and continue her faithful church attendance.
In the late 1950s, Sally heard a woman at church say that God had told her to do something specific with her life. Now in her 20s, Sally was perplexed.
“I had never heard the Lord talk that way,” Sally recalled.
Later, she found herself on the kitchen floor, elbows pressed against a chair seat, hands folded in prayer.
“I asked God what He wanted me to do with my life,” Sally said.
Later that week, Sally’s mother called and asked if she would accompany her to a doctor's appointment in the city. Sally agreed. While at the doctor’s office, she noticed two women who appeared to be hard of hearing. Sally felt the Holy Spirit tug at her heart.
“I got so excited,” Sally explained. “I grabbed a piece of paper and ran over to them. In writing, I asked if they knew Jesus.”
The women did know Jesus and attended a local Baptist church, but the encounter sparked something deeper in Sally. She called her friend Ruby Gunn of Jones, OK, a missionary to the deaf community. Wanting to learn sign language, Sally asked Ruby for the address of a deaf person who could help.
Without her own car, Sally took her husband’s pickup truck to the home. She had prepared a letter, explaining her desire for a sign language tutor. When the door opened, Sally was astounded to see one of the same women from the doctor’s office.
The woman, Faye Grounds, agreed to help. For 18 months, Faye taught Sally American Sign Language every Tuesday morning for two hours.
One day, Faye asked Sally to accompany her to a doctor’s appointment. Sally didn’t know what she was in for. Sally’s sign language skills had advanced, and at the appointment, she seamlessly interpreted between Faye and the physician.
“Don’t ever come back without her,” Sally remembered the doctor telling Faye.
Word spread about Sally’s ability to interpret. Soon, she was regularly attending appointments, interpreting for more hearing-impaired people than she could have imagined. Her husband supported her calling, encouraging her to listen to God and welcoming the deaf community into their home. Sally even taught her children to sign.
Over forty years as a sign language interpreter in the Oklahoma City area, Sally O’Neal estimates she interpreted for roughly 500 hearing-impaired Oklahomans. She never charged a fee for her service. For her time, the deaf community collected donations for two years and sent her on a week-long trip to Israel.
Today, Sally lives in Piedmont with her daughter and grandchildren. She is still happy to teach you a sign or two if you ask.
As a believer in God, a sign language interpreter, and a 92-year-old woman who still cares for herself every day, Sally understands the power of words.
“God gave us the ability to speak things into existence, just the way He did,” she explains.
After hearing her story, can anyone doubt her?
