Sonya Ingalls

A lady who had a pure desire to see her family succeed, Sonya "Susie" Ingalls was a matriarchal figure for kids, cousins and sisters. She was a true Christian lady who was kind, generous and caring. Anyone who knew her was truly blessed to have her in their lives.

With WWII ending a few years prior, 1948 still saw a high demand of consumer goods and housing in the United States. The first pre-fabricated post war housing started to appear to solve the housing shortages to enable the baby boom after the war years by providing young couples with a home to start their family. NASCAR held their first race for modified stock cars in Daytona Beach, Florida and the game, Scrabble was introduced. The year also welcomed the child of Harold Eddings, who was born in 1917 and Atha (Gross) Eddings, who was born in 1922. Sonya Eddings was born on February 15, 1948 in Peru, Indiana.

Sonya, along with her two sisters, enjoyed happy childhoods both in Peru and Swanton, Ohio. She graduated from Peru High School with the Class of 1966. While she worked for her uncle at his restaurant in West Lafayette, Indiana while she was attending beauty school, she was left a note from a customer to give him a call. Curious who it might be, Sonya called after she was off work and started to learn about a young man who was attending Purdue University, Jim Ingalls.

Sonya and Jim's first date was attending a church service and on June 15, 1968, the couple would marry at that same location of their first date, Frist Presbyterian Church of West Lafayette. They welcomed their first child, Robyn, in 1969. Jim's service in the Air Force led them to residences in several states until they settled in Columbia City in 1978 after his honorable discharge. Sonya gave birth to their second child, Matt, in 1986. She worked at several local businesses, including Christian Resources book store and most recently Weatherhead Federal Credit Union.

Her life was marked by a commitment to serving her church and family. She was a dedicated member of New Hope Wesleyan Church, where she routinely offered her generosity and service to community-oriented ministry--like filling backpacks with food for children in need. Out of her own desire to serve Jesus she spent countless hours handcrafting cards and bracelets for friends, acquaintances, and strangers.

For us, her family, we often sought her advice and wisdom in times of sorrow and challenge. She knew just how to provide the right words gently and profoundly--to shine a bright light into whatever darkness we might have brought to her. While her presence is gone, the goodness of her wisdom shall never be extinguished from our lives. Over the years, Sonya and Jim created a special bond together. It came quite natural for Jim to affectionately come up with names to refer her to like Sugars or Dolly.

Surrounded by her immediate family, Sonya "Susie" Ingalls passed away in the comfort of her own home at 3:10 A.M. Friday, December 7, 2018. She's survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Jim Ingalls; her daughter, Robyn and son-in-law Robert; her son, Matt and daughter-in-law, Abigail; sisters, Ruthy Hoppes and Judy Maus and brother-in-law David; niece, Mandy; nephews, Jason and his wife Andria and Ryan and his wife, Lauren; and beloved grandsons, Elliot and Micah. She was preceded in death by her father Harold in 2000 and mother Atha in 2009.

Visitation is 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, December 9, 2019 at DeMoney-Grimes, a Life Story Funeral Home, 600 Countryside Drive, Columbia City. Funeral service will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, December 10, 2018 at New Hope Wesleyan Church, 971 N 400 W, Columbia City. Committal service and interment will follow at Stough Cemetery, Columbia City. To send her family condolences online, please visit www.DeMoneyGrimes.com