Carolina Sue Sinclair

Carolina Sue Ditty Sinclair passed away peacefully in the early hours of the morning on Tuesday, July 4, 2023, in the presence of her daughter, Heather. The moon was bright and full, and the sky was still hazy with the smoke of fireworks.

Sue was born on November 4, 1942, in Van Lear, Kentucky. At eight years old she moved with her family to the small coal mining town of Evanston, Kentucky. She was a cheerleader and trumpet player at Breathitt County High School, graduating in 1960. At seventeen she moved to Columbus, Ohio, where she lived for the next sixty years. But she always considered Evanston her home, a place that now exists only in the memories of those who lived there. She was a coal miner’s daughter living in the big city and she never forgot it.

She started work as an operator with the phone company, and worked her way into management over a thirty-year career, which was cut short by a debilitating neuromuscular disease; she retired on disability in 1988. In the late ’60s Sue met her first husband, Stu Sinclair, at the Magic Lamp on East Broad Street. They had an often tumultuous but faithful marriage that lasted more than forty years. They had one son together, Sean Ferguson, who died at just four days old, and one daughter, Heather. Sue also fostered a loving relationship with Stu’s two sons, Bruce and Bret, and even their mother, Stu’s first wife. Sue’s willingness to include them in her family circle earned her a new name: They always called her Angel.

Shortly after Stu’s death in 2012, Sue met and married the man who would love and cherish her until the day she died, Charles Lynch. Also from Eastern Kentucky, Charles was part of the home that Sue had always longed for. They shared a love of music, walks in the park, a steaming pot of navy beans and cornbread, and their cats, Belle and Buddy. When Sue developed Alzheimer’s, Charles weathered the most difficult years of her life with her and loved her faithfully until the very end.

Throughout her life Sue was a loyal friend, wife, sister, and mother. She was frugal for herself and generous to a fault with others. She was a talented artist, and leaves behind several oil paintings, clay sculptures, and a short story or two. She had a sharp sense of humor and an easy laugh; she was slow to anger and quick to forgive. Above all she loved her family—everything she did she did with them in mind.

Sue is preceded in death by her parents, Cecil and Sarah Ditty; her brother Eddie Ditty; and her first husband, Stuart Sinclair. She is survived by her loving husband, Charles Lynch; her daughter, Heather (Eric) Shaw; her grandchildren, Henry, Elsa, and Ruby; her sisters, Janet Ferguson and Robyn (Larry) Gannon; her brother Donnie (Ursula) Ditty; and many other relatives and friends.

A Celebration of Life will be held Saturday, September 16, 2023 at 2:00pm at 14 North Park Place, Newark, Ohio 43055. Dress is casual. RSVP is appreciated by not required: Call or text Heather Shaw at 740-403-4007.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Sue’s name to the Alzheimer’s Association at 255 N Michigan Ave, Fl. 17, Chicago IL 60601 or at www.alz.org.