Emily "Mimi" Sugar

Emily (“Mimi”) Sugar, age 88, died June 4, 2025, following a brief bout with cancer. Born to the late Laird and Evelyn Smith on September 12, 1936, in Columbus, OH, Mimi was raised in Bexley, but her favorite childhood memories were of times spent in Grandview Heights with her grandparents, G. Edwin and Susan Sophia Smith. She always credited her grandmother for modeling the strong, charitable woman Mimi would grow to be. Mimi graduated from Bexley High School and spent a year at Ohio University in Athens before returning to study at The Ohio State University. There she was introduced to a Bexley boy named Joe Sugar Jr. who was a few years older and attended Princeton University. Joe graciously offered Mimi a ride to Princeton so she could visit her boyfriend who was on the football team there. She accepted the invitation and, evidently, had a pleasant trip. Joe won Mimi’s heart. They married in 1961 and moved into a farmhouse on Clark State Road in Jefferson Township, where they welcomed the birth of their daughter. Mimi and Joe then moved to Upper Arlington, prior to the birth of their sons, and became fixtures in that community. Mimi was a devout member of St. Agatha Church for many years, having converted to Catholicism prior to marriage, and she regularly volunteered at St. Agatha School while her children were students there. She also volunteered with The Childhood League and fostered orphaned infants in her home. Trained by Betty Rosbottom at La Belle Pomme School, Mimi was an artist in the kitchen who produced delicious culinary creations with apparent ease. She was also a proud homemaker and entertainer who was known for her refined style and taste. After Mimi refurbished a new home with the help of Martha Poulton, the two women joined forces and opened their own interior decorating firm. Marmaison was a fixture on the Old Mallway in UA for many years, and a favorite spot for anyone interested in a bit of chintz or chit-chat. Vacations for Mimi usually meant more time with family, either with the Sugars in Bal Harbour, FL or with the Smiths on Chesapeake Bay. In either instance, happy hour was a respected institution -- an institution which continued in retirement at Prescott Place in Marble Cliff, where Mimi purchased the first condominium unit and made many new friends. She also became a regular at Our Lady of Victory Church across the street. Nothing gave Mimi more joy than sitting in the congregation and listening to music played on the grand piano she donated to the church. As the result of complications from a fall in 2018, Mimi moved to the Forum at Knightsbridge where she received excellent care and resided comfortably until her passing. She will be remembered as an unflappable pragmatist who admired intellect above all else and who cheerfully exemplified the Stoic virtues of wisdom, justice, courage and temperance in all aspects of her life. Mimi was preceded in death by her husband of 54 years, Joseph A. Sugar Jr., and her brother, Laird (Carol) Smith Jr. She is survived by her children, Susan (Bob) Gerlach, Joe III (Amy) Sugar, and David Sugar; her grandchildren, Emily (Adam) Kerner, Charlotte (Phil) Larger, Robby (Emma) Gerlach, Jed Gerlach, Sally (Wyatt Zelle) Sugar, Sophie Sugar, Anna Sugar, and Hank Sugar; her great grandchildren, Dorothy and Alice Kerner, Sandy and Teddy Larger, and Caroline and Lucy Gerlach; her sister, Cindy Sopher; her half-brothers Rob (Sandy) Smith and Kevin Smith; and her stepmother Virginia Smith. A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 AM on Thursday, June 12, 2025, at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church, 1559 Roxbury Road, after which the family will receive friends in the Parish Hall from 11:30 AM to 1:30 PM. Arrangements by SCHOEDINGER NORTHWEST. Please visit www.schoedinger.com to share a favorite memory about Mimi. In her honor, and in memory of her beloved companions Winston and Franklin, contributions may be made to Columbus Humane, www.columbushumane.org.