Sylvia, a long-time resident of Thunder Bay, passed away peacefully, Monday, October 24th, 2016 at St. Joseph's Hospital. Born in Gimli, Manitoba, Sylvia came from a large family that was very close.
Sylvia met her husband, Otto, in Winnipeg and after a two-year courtship, they were married.
They lived, worked and started their family in Winnipeg, until 1964, when Otto accepted a position in Thunder Bay at CanCar (Bombardier).
They settled in the Vickers Heights area where they raised their family until the children were grown and Sylvia could return to school and follow her dream of a career in nursing, which lasted twenty happy years. Sylvia devoted herself exclusively to working with patients afflicted with Alzheimers.
She was a very caring, kind and compassionate person. Sylvia developed a large network of friends, both within and outside the nursing community.
Sylvia connected personally with all of her nieces and nephews, never forgetting birthdays or Christmas. As with her immediate family, Sylvia was very close with her extended family ~ the door was always open and the coffee always on. Upon retirement, Sylvia enjoyed pursuing personal hobbies, partaking in more social activities and travelling to visit family.
She had a wonderful sense of humor that was enjoyed by all. Sylvia is survived by her daughters Kathryn Taylor and Samantha (Sylvia) Helfrich and her son John.
She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Caitlyn, Nicholas, Jessica, Josephine and Danielle and four great grandchildren. Sylvia will be greatly and sadly missed by all who knew and loved her, particularly, her family.
Thank you to the St. Joseph's staff, for the wonderful care Mom received.
And a very special thank you to Maxine, who lovingly gave her time through Mom's illness until the end.
A Celebration of Life will be held for Sylvia at the Vickers Heights Community Centre, 1695 Broadway Ave, on Wednesday, November 2nd at 11:00 a.m.
