Mary Ruth Vanhoy Sink

Mary Ruth Van Hoy Sink, 86, a native of the Branon Community of Yadkin County, life-long Quaker, and woman of independent mind, died peacefully March 12, 2016, at Kate B. Reynolds Hospice Center in Winston-Salem. She was born Nov. 27, 1929, to Wade Anderson and Ruby Thelma Ireland Van Hoy. As a child, she listened to her parents and relatives discuss their ancestry and grew to appreciate her heritage. In 1949, she earned valedictorian of her graduating class at West Yadkin High School and was awarded the A. J. Martin trophy for excellence in academics. Mrs. Van Hoy Sink was the first in her family to leave the family farm for public work in Winston-Salem, where she graduated from a business college and worked as an executive secretary at Western Electric. She also attended Guilford College, where she sang in the choir, and Earlham College in Indiana, where she studied the Quaker faith. She also sponsored a young boy from Guatemala. He graduated from high school and is now on his own. After retirement, she kept her mind active with involvement at Winston-Salem Friends Meeting. She travelled to numerous Quaker gatherings, took harp lessons and cake decorating, and researched her family history on the Van Hoy, Ireland, and Branon families. Mrs. Van Hoy Sink was married to Joseph Alfred Sink of Davidson County, until his death in 2007. She will be buried beside him at Forsyth Memorial Park, Yadkinville Road, in a private service. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and a younger brother, Joseph Wade Van Hoy. She is survived by many relatives and friends. Gentry Family Funeral Services of Yadkinville is assisting the family. The family wishes to thank the staff at Forsyth Memorial Hospital and Kate B. Reynolds Hospice for their care.