Sally Pillsbury, for decades a generous humanitarian who promoted women in politics across Minnesota, died Saturday night at a nursing facility in Wayzata, her family said. She was 93 and had advanced dementia.

A powerhouse figure in her own right, she had a lifelong partnership with late husband, George Pillsbury, grandson of the Pillsbury Co. founder, who died in 2012 at age 91. The Pillsburys had lived in Orono on three acres along the Lake Minnetonka shore where they hosted grand events and prominent people, including the Bushes (George Pillsbury had become friends with George H.W. Bush while both were students at Yale).

"I am saddened to learn about the passing of Sally Pillsbury," Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., said in a statement Sunday evening. "She was a Republican who was a staunch believer in women's rights, and a strong supporter of women running for office ... Sally and George were mainstays in our Minnesota public life — and she will be missed."

The Pillsburys were significant patrons of numerous causes and organizations, including the Guthrie Theater, Planned Parenthood and Pillsbury United Communities, the nonprofit human service and arts organization that evolved from a settlement house established by his father and uncle.

She was a founding director on the Guthrie board, where she was a life member. "Sally was a force of nature," said former Guthrie artistic director Joe Dowling. "Both she and George were deeply committed to the civic life and community, and her example, of having strong views but listening deeply and with respect to the other side, is something that we could all use at a time of hyperpartisan politics."

She also helped raise money for the University of Minnesota, the Betty Ford Foundation and Women Winning, a statewide organization that encourages women candidates who support abortion rights.

Other political highlights for Sally Pillsbury included being Dwight Eisenhower's scheduler in his Chicago presidential campaign office, and giving the nominating speech at the 1964 Republican Convention in the Bay Area for Minnesota favorite son Walter Judd.

'Person of immense energy'

A lasting reminder of the Pillsburys' impact on the Twin Cities is a bench installed in their name at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.

"Sally was a person of immense energy and creativity and that was reflected in her commitment to make Minnesota a very special place," said Robert Bruininks, former president of the University of Minnesota.

Sally Pillsbury grew up in St. Cloud and was the daughter of Wheelock Whitney Sr., a Republican businessman and philanthropist.

She attended the Madeira School and Smith College, where she was active in politics, athletics and the dramatic arts. George and Sally Pillsbury were wed in the mid-1940s, and their marriage lasted 65 years until his death.

Along with her husband, Sally Pillsbury was preceded in death by brothers Wheelock Whitney Jr. and J. Kimball Whitney. She is survived by children Charles A. Pillsbury, George S. Pillsbury Jr., Sarah K. Pillsbury, and Katharine W. Pillsbury. A memorial service is being planned for the early spring. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made in her memory.

Dowling, of the Guthrie, said that she was always full of life. He recalled that on a trip to London years ago, his group got a tour of Westminster Hall, seat of the British government, because Sally knew the speaker of the House of Lords.

"As we were walking through we saw, in the distance coming through the door, Archbishop Tutu," Dowling said. "Sally took off like a rocket to him, and she brought him over and introduced him to the whole group. It was exactly like George had said: She never met a stranger."