Sally Beinhorn Freedman, a longtime industry sales rep who worked for Top 40 distributor Summit Group (asi/339116) among other firms, passed away peacefully on Thursday, Jan. 26. She was 73. Friends remember Freedman as a hard worker who “sweated the details” and a “creative dresser” with a flair for fashion.

Sally Beinhorn Freedman

Freedman, who was born and raised in Miami Shores, FL, attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, where she became lifelong friends with her roommates. She would go on to work with one of those roommates, the late Janelle Nevins, a promotional products industry leader, at Nevins Marketing Group, which later became Summit Group. Freedman became a million-dollar sales rep at a time when that was a rarity in the promo industry, recalls Mary Sells, vice president of supplier services at ASI and Freedman’s boss when she was at Nevins.

“She worked hard, sweated the details,” Sells says. “That’s why she was successful.”

Sells also remembers Freedman’s fashion sense: “She was a fashionista – always the best and the latest styles. She also could be a creative dresser. One time we took customers to see ‘Miss Saigon,’ and Sally wore a traditional cheongsam dress. That was Sally.”

After her time with Summit, Freedman worked as sales director at Winning Promotions (asi/361974), according to her LinkedIn profile.

“Sally was an exceptional salesperson whose customers and coworkers loved her,” says Chip Irle, chief operating officer at Winning Promotions. “She had a smile that lit up a room and an unforgettable sense of humor that left everyone with a smile on their face. We will miss her, but will always have the wonderful memories of time we spent laughing, smiling and enjoying life together.”

Outside of work, she enjoyed volunteering with One Good Deed and Second Helpings Atlanta. She also had a lifelong love of travel, exploring Russia, Japan and all over Europe.

Seven years ago, Freedman had a stroke, which left her paralyzed on one side. “She didn’t like being limited, but she always smiled and tried to make the best of it,” Sells says. “Sally was brave.”

Freedman is survived by her companion of more than 30 years, Jeffrey Geismar, and Jeffrey’s daughter, husband and son. A service is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29, at Arlington Memorial Park, 201 Mount Vernon Highway, Sandy Springs, GA. Donations may be made in her memory to Second Helpings Atlanta.