From the Washington Post's obit:

Sarah Booth Conroy, 81, who chronicled the homes, history and changing personalities of the Washington elite as a Washington Post reporter, editor and columnist for more than three decades, died Jan. 12 at ManorCare Potomac nursing facility. She had Alzheimer's disease.

Mrs. Conroy, who wrote more than 2,800 articles for The Post, was known for her adept reporting on the city's diplomatic circuit and for her long-running "Chronicles" column about the city's history.

She was also considered a one-of-a-kind newsroom character who wore elaborately sculpted jewelry designed by her husband and whose honey-dipped Southern accent seemed to grow deeper with each decade that she lived outside her native Georgia.