Sinda O'Reilly

All who knew Sinda O'Reilly would agree that she was truly beautiful on the inside and out. She was loving, compassionate, and generous beyond measure with a servant's heart in ways both great and small. Deeply devoted to her family, Sinda loved nothing more than having a house or her barn full of friends and loved ones sharing a food, laughter, and plenty of love. Known for her heart of gold, she never had an unkind word to say about anyone. Life will never be the same without Sinda here, but she leaves behind a timeless legacy that her loved ones will proudly carry on in her footsteps.

It seems only fitting that Sinda's journey began during a time that was as vibrant as she was. It was the 1950s when televisions became part of our homes and introduced us to shows like I Love Lucy and Father Knows Best. Elvis Presley introduced us to rock 'n roll while we became a nation of 50 states with the addition of both Alaska and Hawaii by the end of the decade. It was on April 2nd, 1956 that Carl Everett and Donnabelle M. (Loe) Sroufe were pleased to announce the birth of their twin girls, Sinda and Linda, in Wolf Lake, Indiana at Lucky Hospital. The girls were the second set of twins in their family as their parents had kept trying for a girl among their sea of sons until they ended up being blessed with two of them!

Raised on the family farm near Larwill, Sinda and her sister were joined in the family by their brothers, twin brothers Larry and Gary, and then Everette followed by Jimmie. She enjoyed playing with her siblings and always looked forward to family vacations. Every summer they traveled around the country camping together. They even drove to Mexico one year! As a girl, Sinda also enjoyed mushroom hunting in Michigan with her parents and siblings. She attended local schools and graduated from Whitko High School in 1974.

There was never anything that was more important to Sinda than her loved ones. She was blessed to become a mother to two children, Chad and Tiffany, and took the household responsibilities to be stay-at-home mother first. Sinda was a loving and supportive mother, and she was there to support them in everything they did. She was there to support her son when he raced motocross and cars, and she was also there for her daughter as she competed in various sports. From the time she was a young girl Sinda loved camping, and she passed this love onto her children. During the summer they especially enjoyed going to Summit Lake State Park.

Later in life Sinda's family continued to be her greatest source of pride and joy. She was thrilled to become both a grandmother and great-grandmother as there was simply more people to spoil with her love. Sinda was an amazing hostess, and she loved hosting gatherings of all kinds for family and friends. Her favorite holiday was Christmas, and she welcomed everyone to her home. This was especially true if she heard of someone who didn't have anywhere to go on Christmas Day. When it came to cooking, Thanksgiving was her favorite meal to prepare.

Although she did enjoy cooking and hosting, Sinda did like going out to eat on Friday nights. A friend to many, Sinda enjoyed her girls' nights out and also having parties in her barn. Through her friends, she was introduced to Robert Hendry. Although he was friends with her older brother, Everett, he did not know much about her. However, they shared a common love for camping, and she was so blessed to share the last 14 years of her journey with him and creating a lot of memories together.

Throughout her life Sinda was always busy. As her children grew older, she spent more than 10 years working for Dwyer Instruments and then 20 years working for Autoliv. Sinda was the sort of person who never met a stranger, and she was there to help in any way she could. Truly beautiful on the inside and out, Sinda had the most striking long blonde hair that she unfortunately lost as she battled stage four lung cancer for the past year.

When reflecting on the life of Sinda O'Reilly, it is easy to see that she had a heart of gold. Although she accomplished much of which to be proud, she was a humble woman who was selfless in everything she did. Her greatest reward in life was after raising her two children, was becoming a grandmother. Warm, genuine, and kind, Sinda could connect with anyone and never knew a stranger. Deeply loved, she will be forever missed.

Sinda O'Reilly, 62, of Columbia City, Indiana, passed away Thursday, February 28, 2019, at Parkview Regional Medical Center. Sinda's surviving family includes her children, Chad (Melissa Pequignot) O'Reilly, of South Whitley and Tiffany (Brandy) O'Reilly, of Columbia City; fiancée, Robert Hendry and his children, Robert C. (Karli) Hendry and Michelle Lee Hendry, all of Columbia City; twin brothers, Larry (Arlene) Sroufe of Larwill and Gary (Mary Lou) Sroufe, of South Whitley, brothers, Everette (Lucia) Sroufe, of South Whitley and Jimmie (Pat Vetor) Sroufe, of Fairmount; twin sister, Linda (Randy Gaff) Dafforn, of Columbia City; 10 grandchildren, Alex, Kyle, Robert, Brenden, Ali, Brandon, Ashley, Mackenzie, Jade, Kayla; six great-grandchildren, Preston, Ella, Brynleigh, Nevaeh, Lily, Hunter, and expecting a seventh, Peyton; and her loving dog, Sadie. She was preceded in death by her parents, Carl and Donnabelle Sroufe.

A gathering of family and friends will be from 3-7 p.m. Thursday, March 7, 2019, at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral service will be 10 a.m. Friday, at the funeral home with Funeral Celebrant Sharon Brockhaus officiating. She will be entombed at Covington Memorial Gardens. Memorials may be given in her memory to Cancer Services of Northeast Indiana or to her grandchildren, I.C.O. Tiffany O'Reilly. Visit www.demoneygrimes.com to send Sinda's family condolences online.