Ruthel Ellen Sinclair (Payne)

Ruthel Ellen Sinclair, 94, passed away peacefully with her family by her side, on March 25, 2021.

Ruthel was born on April 1, 1926, in Augusta, Arkansas, to Claude and Mary Payne. She graduated from Ben Blewett High School in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1944. After attending Brown’s Business College in St. Louis, she worked as a comptometer operator at Adam’s Dairy.

Ruthel married Vern Sinclair on December 18, 1949. They moved to Michigan while Vern finished his degree, eventually settling back in Independence where Vern built their family home and they raised four daughters.
Ruthel was a loving daughter, wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. As a devoted Christian, she was a life-time member of the RLDS church and was very involved in Farview Restoration Branch. She was community minded, generous and kind to all she met.

Some of her talents and hobbies included gardening, canning…especially okra, apple butter and strawberry jam. In her younger years she enjoyed painting; but her priority was spending time with her beloved children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Ruthel had many lifelong friends and she will be dearly missed.
She is survived by her daughters: Marilyn Sinclair, Carol (Kim) Cunha, Barbara (John) Allinder, and Sandy Sinclair, five grandchildren: Chad Hurt, Emily Allinder-Scott, Katy Allinder-Palmer, Clay Cunha, Will Cunha, 10 great-grandchildren, sister-in-law, Gloria Sinclair, and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband of 64 years, Vern Sinclair, parents Claude and Mary Ellen Payne, brothers, Lohnes E. Payne, David N. Payne, and J.L. Payne.

The family will have a private graveside burial followed by a public Celebration of Life service which will be held on Saturday, April 24, 2021 at 11:00 AM at Farview Restoration Branch, 11404 East 24th Street South, Independence, MO 64052.

The family would like to give a special thank you to the staff at Benton House in Blue Springs as well as Ruthel’s caregiver Pat, who made her laugh daily.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Center Place Restoration School, 819 W. Waldo Avenue, Independence, MO 64050, or Price Publishing Company, 915 E. 23rd Street South, Independence, MO 64055.