Anne Sinclair

Anne Sinclair, 100, passed away July 8, 2016 and would have turned 101 on July 14. Anne was born in Cardigan, Wales to George Makeig and Daisey Hannah James and was the oldest of four children. Her family owned a woolen mill called Trewindsor Mills. She graduated from secretarial college in London, England and immigrated to the U.S. in 1937 at the age of 22 to marry Captain Rowland (Rody) D. Griffiths, who in 1946 serving our country in WWII as a pilot, was killed. Before Rody's death, she proudly became a naturalized U.S. citizen (1945). In 1950, she married Howard Sinclair who also had immigrated to the U.S. from London, England. They had two children, Brian and Elizabeth. Anne worked as an assistant for inventor Arthur O. Austin at the O.C. Barber Mansion in Barberton. Later she worked as a secretary at Firestone, several insurance companies and retired in 1982 from Karg Corporation in Tallmadge, Ohio as executive secretary for the president of Karg. Anne enjoyed life to the fullest. Her family was more important to her than anything. She loved nature and lived her life according to the teachings of Jesus; always kind, gentle, generous, nonjudgmental, and humble. Even well into her 80's she volunteered for Mobile Meals and was a strong believer in the missions of (and was a long time donor to) the United Way and Planned Parenthood. She served her church in Silver Lake, from its beginnings, on a variety of committees ranging from Women's Fellowship, Evangelism, the Cabinet to the Martha Mary Guild and was an active member of the Silver Lake Garden Club for as long as she was able. She was a faithful member of the Professional Women's Organization of Akron and won several speaking awards. She had a strong work ethic; she never stopped: she was a 'natural' in creating her amazing English garden (which passersby always marveled at), was always working on some home improvement project and she believed in regular physical and mental exercise. Anne's longevity can be credited to her inner strength, her belief that everything should be done in moderation and positive thinking. She loved to play bridge (and could be quite competitive) and at one time played with at least four bridge clubs. She enjoyed swimming and cherished her time swimming laps at Crystal Lake up to the age of 90. She walked two to three miles a day until she fell and broke her hip at the age of 98. Amazingly, she recovered to the point where she returned home under the care (and advocacy) of her daughter and eventually she could be seen walking (with her walker) up and down her driveway and street. Preceded in death by her beloved Rody, her brother Roland James, sisters Hazel (Mary) Taylor and Christina Welson, she is survived by her dearly loved and admiring children and grandchildren, nieces and nephews, sister-in-law and many friends of all ages. The family would like to thank her dedicated home care givers, Anna's Home Healthcare and her nurse and chaplain at Hospice of Summa. A private service will take place. Memorials in Anne's name may be made to Planned Parenthood of Akron, the United Way of Akron, Mobile Meals of Akron (moblemealsinc.org), and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (www.vfw.org).