Tonya "Sue" Lingle

Tonya "Sue" Lingle, 65, of Palestine, IL, passed away on April 22, 2026, at the Haven of Bridgeport, IL. She was born on April 21, 1961, in Vincennes, IN, where she grew up in a household that always seemed to have room for one more. Her parents raised not only their own children but extended family as well, and something about that openness took root in Sue early. She was independent and responsible from a young age, starting work as a waitress at the White Kitchen so she could buy her own things. That same self-sufficiency would serve her well in the years ahead.

When she married, she stepped into life as a military wife, a role she carried for 20 years. It was a life of frequent moves and long stretches that felt a lot like single parenting whenever her husband was deployed. But wherever the military sent them, Sue made friends. She'd sit out on the cul-de-sac with the other wives, and what started as neighborhood gossip became lifelong friendships. She had a gift for that, for turning strangers into people who stayed.

She was a devoted mother and mostly stayed home with her children. When they were older, she took a job at Walmart in Maryland. (She joked that she was there often enough, they might as well pay her for it!) She later worked at a Walmart in North Carolina before transferring to the Robinson, IL, store, where she eventually retired as a sales associate. She was well-loved by her coworkers at every stop.

At home, Sue was meticulous. When she was healthy, she was something of a clean freak who would kick the kids out in the summer just so she could deep clean the house top to bottom. Everything was dusted, organized, and exactly where it belonged. She was equally particular about her appearance. Her hair and makeup were always done just so. She once packed a blow dryer on a trip to the water park to make sure her hair was done back up before anyone saw her otherwise! She tended her indoor plants with that same kind of care and, during her years as a military wife, was always angling for "Yard of the Month" in whatever neighborhood they landed.

But she wasn't all work at home. She loved working on jigsaw puzzles, and there was always one going on the dining table. She followed The Young and the Restless for decades, loyal to storylines that had been unfolding since before her kids were born. She enjoyed crime shows too, though they didn't just entertain her. They made her vigilant. She watched the world a little more carefully because of them, but the truth is, that caution was never really about herself. It was about her family. She paid attention because she loved them, and loving them meant making sure they were safe.

After all, family was the center of everything. She loved her children and grandchildren, of course, but her nieces and nephews were also treated as her own. And the bond she shared with her sister Jamie was something in and of itself. They had their own kind of language, an understanding that ran deeper than words. They were always in cahoots, always playing Bingo together, always making plans. Sue loved live music and enjoyed many concerts over the years. She saw Reba, John Mellencamp, Sawyer Brown, Crystal Gayle, and, most recently, a Beatles tribute band. Country music was her favorite, but she'd show up for just about any good show, especially if she got to share it with someone she loved.

But loving people, for Sue, also meant messing with them. She once hauled a bunch of things out of her sister's house just to convince them they'd been robbed. She and her brother-in-law Ron traded pranks for years, each one trying to outdo the last. That mischief was baked into who she was. Sue was stubborn, ornery, and vivacious in equal measure, but the thing people remember most is the laughter. She laughed so hard at one of her siblings' weddings that the preacher called her out from the front: "This is no laughing matter!" Before funerals, she'd warn people to stay away from her, because she was going to embarrass them with that laugh of hers. And yet, she had this wonderful, infectious smile that made people want to be around her, even if it meant embarrassment or becoming her next target.

It was a beautiful way to move through the world. And it was rooted in something deeper than personality. While living in North Carolina, Sue became deeply involved in her local Church of Christ, teaching Sunday school and living out her faith in the most practical ways she knew how. She opened her home and her heart to anyone who needed it. Her kids remember people staying at their house whom they barely knew. If neighborhood children didn't have Christmas presents, Sue took care of it quietly. She gave what she had, not because she had much, but because she believed that's what you do. That kind of love doesn't end when a life does. It echoes. And for those who share the faith Sue held, there is the assurance that the woman who always made room for one more has herself been welcomed home.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Marlin Laverne Hill & Marcella Louise (Haynes) Hill; two brothers, Troy Hill and Marlin Dawayne Hill; and her aunts, Virginia Miller and Joann Helderman.

She is survived by her children, Monica (Vince) Decker of Flat Rock, IL, and Matthew Lingle of Hutsonville, IL; her grandchildren, Kolton Decker, Corbin Decker, Brooklynn Lingle, Jase Lingle, and Jasper Lingle; her siblings, Trish Moon (Tom) of Oaktown, IN, Robin Duckworth (Bud) of Vincennes, IN, and Jamie Harrington (Ron) of Flat Rock, IL; a sister-in-law, Angie Hill of Robinson, IL; and several nieces and nephews.

A time of visitation will be held from 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Thursday, April 30th, at the Goodwine Funeral Home in Palestine. A memorial service will immediately follow at 2:00 p.m. with Celebrant Curt Goodwine officiating. Burial will be in the Price Cemetery in Russellville, IL. Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, with envelopes available at the funeral home. Donations may also be made online using the link below.