Sylvia Belle Singleton, 90, of Brookfield, Missouri, entered the presence of the Lord on January 23, 2024. She was born on October 7, 1933, in Livingston County, Missouri, to her parents Ralph Rollo and Martha Ellen (Fitzpatrick) Figg of Hale, Missouri. Some of Sylvia’s fondest memories were of her childhood home in Spring Hill, Missouri. Playing outdoors with her siblings in the nearby creek was one of her favorites. In her own words, “We didn’t have much, but we were happy.” On August 5, 1951, in Hale, Missouri, she married Richard “Dick” Wayne Singleton, and together they had six children. In Mendon, Missouri, she operated her own antique store, Sylvia’s Antiques. She worked for the Postal Service in Mendon and Chillicothe, retiring in 1978.
An accomplished quilter, Sylvia won numerous awards and recognition. She presented her children and grandchildren with quilts to mark the special occasions of graduation, marriage, and birth. One of her most notable quilts, “Autumn Splendor” (with her adaptation), will drape her coffin on the day of her funeral. Her legacy as a quilter lives on in the lives of her children and grandchildren. More importantly, Sylvia was a mother of mothers, a wonderful mother-in-law, and a grandmother of grandmothers. Above all, she loved Jesus and would urge others to come to Him by faith by passing out her “business card” which read, “Jesus Loves You.”
Married for 52 years, Sylvia and Dick loved traveling and shared a passion for the West, spending much time in their RV and on their motorcycle.
Sylvia is survived by her children, Tracy Lee (Karen) Singleton, Polo, Illinois; Stacy Wayne (Linda) Singleton, Brookfield, Missouri; Richard Dale (Lori) Singleton, Gardner, Kansas; and Steven Linn (Laurie) Singleton, Hale, Missouri; daughter-in-law, Marta Singleton, Dearborn, Missouri; son-in-law Fred Carpenter, Brookfield, Missouri; 25 grandchildren, 51 great-grandchildren, and 4 great-great-grandchildren. She also leaves behind two sisters and one brother—Martha Hellen Carroll, Independence, Missouri; Mildred Louise Pahmeyer, Oak Grove, Missouri; and Jerry Dale (Marilyn) Figg, Wheeling, Missouri; sister-in-law Ruby Figg, Canandaigua, New York; brother-in-law Chuck Addleman, Independence, Missouri; and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding her in death was her husband, Dick, on November 3, 2002; her daughter and quilting partner, Kathleen Elaine Carpenter, on November 26, 2011; her youngest son, Cary Dean Singleton, on September 30, 2022; infant great-grandson, Ezekiel “Zeke” Samuel Weatherford; infant great-granddaughter, Blaire Elyse Tolson; her parents in 1990 and 2005, respectively; brother, Rollo Eugene Figg; sister, Dorothy Ellen Westbrook; sister, Donna Marie Addleman; and two infant brothers, Daniel Ralph Figg and Terry Gale Figg.
Funeral services will be held at Lindley Funeral Home, Hale, Missouri, on Saturday, January 27, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. A scheduled visitation will be held at Lindley Funeral Home, on Saturday, January 27, 2024, one hour prior to the service from 9 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. Friends may call at Lindley Funeral Home, Hale, on Friday, January 26, 2024, from 11 a.m. until 5 p.m. Burial will be at Hale Cemetery, Hale, Missouri. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Missouri Baptist Children’s Home in memory of Sylvia Singleton and may be left at or mailed to Lindley Funeral Home, P.O. Box 47, Chillicothe, Missouri 64601.
