The owner of a local restaurant and a well-known promoter of Syracuse, Linda “Sparky” Mortimer, passed away Sunday night in her home. She was 57.
“Sparky was an amazing woman and my friend. I’m so glad to have known her and so sad to hear of her passing.” -Vivian Babuts, Facebook
“Sparky Mortimer …one of the friends that made life better she worked hard played hard loved deeply and can never be replaced. We will miss you forever and hope your next “Sparkytown” in the sky will be open for business when we get there love you .” -Maureen Hogle, Facebook
“sorry to hear this sad news. my thoughts are with her family and those closest to her. i ate there once. it was good and she was amazing. she had more life in her then i have seen in ten people combined.she is an amazing person! she is in a good place then we are:) RIP Sparky” -Josh Wicks, Facebook
We welcome comments and memories of “Sparky” on our Facebook page here and via email. Please contact Amanda Wada at [email protected].
A candlelit vigil was held in her honor Monday. Entire generations gathered to honor her life and gather around the sadness of her death. Many candles, lit from the flame of another, flickered in reverence of the life and legacy of “Sparky” Mortimer.
Sparky Town is located at 324 Burnett Ave. On an otherwise underdeveloped street, the light and warmth from the small restaurant radiated well beyond the small city corner it occupied. “Sparky, ”with her warmth and generosity, touched many lives.
“Sparky was always really good to our community and really tried to do everything she could to build it up,” said Dan McMaster, a regular patron of Sparky Town who attended the vigil.
Tears were shed, hugs were shared, but song was the most notable sound of the evening as the voices of the large crowd came together under the tender melody of ‘Song of the Soul’.
And we’ll sing this song
Why don’t you sing along
Then we can sing for a long, long time
Why don’t you sing this song
Then we can sing along
Then we can sing for a long, long time
Mortimer moved to Syracuse from the Bronx and Long Island two decades ago. About four years ago, she opened Sparky Town a few blocks away from her home in the Sedgwick neighborhood. The restaurant sits at the corner of Burnet Avenue and Catherine Street. She was a self-proclaimed lover of the city of Syracuse.
“Syracuse is a big city with a small-town sort of a feel,” she told The Eagle last week. “Syracuse is a city that’s in a renaissance. There’s a lot of potential for people to stay here.”
Services for “Sparky” will be held 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 27th at May Memorial Unitarian Universalist Church, 3800 E. Genesee Street. The restaurant will be closed until further notice.
