Our mother, Sharon Lou Martindale, 85, passed away Thursday November 10th, 2022, after a long illness. She was born here in Bloomington in 1937, oldest daughter to Hubert and Jessie McCameron, and lived here all of her life. She was married to Ted F. Martindale and raised three sons, Ted J., Kevin, and Chris.

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, an infant daughter and her oldest son; she is survived by a sister, Carol Pruett of Martinsville, her two remaining sons and a granddaughter, Brandie Martindale of Bloomington.

Mom was a homemaker so we had her all to ourselves growing up, and she was a great mom too. She sparked my imagination at a very early age by reading me fantasy and sci-fi novels while we waited for Dad to get off work at RCA. And when I decided to try my own writing years later, she was so supportive…she would listen patiently while I read chapters aloud and would always say "That's good!" but I could tell from the way she said it whether it really was or not. She had such a great ear for plot and dialogue. The novels I published all those years ago were as much hers as mine, and she even appeared as a character in the first one, Nightblood. She got such a kick out of that.

Mom loved to travel but didn't get to do enough of it, though she did visit Kevin in Jackson Hole and got to see the Grand Tetons. She had many interests, from painting and crafting to genealogy research, and would have pursued them more had not dementia stolen far too many of her remaining years. But at least now she's finally free of it.

Goodbye for the moment, beloved mother. I'm sure those who went before were there to welcome you with open arms. As for the rest of us, I imagine we'll be along shortly, and I will look for you then. But until that time, we will love you and miss you every day. And if I should write anything else in the interim and you just happen to be listening, let me know if it sounds okay…

Your loving son,

Chris

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There will be no service for our mother, though you may leave thoughts and condolences at IndianaGreenBurials.com. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating in her name to the local Area 10 on Aging or to the Monroe County Animal Shelter. She did love her animals…