YELVERTON, Sylvia
A TRIBUTE TO SYLVIA, MY BELOVED Sylvia quietly passed away from us Sunday morning, July 14, 2013 at 4:48 AM. She departed from earth peacefully with me by her side, in her own home, surrounded by her loving pets as she had wished. Sylvia was born on December 28, 1941 in Leominster, MA to Homer Lewis Miller and Cecile Mary Collette. She is survived by me, her loving husband Donald; brother Dennis Miller; nephews Trevor Miller, and Seth Miller; brother-in-law Benjamin Hardy Yelverton; nieces Ginger Gladden, Debby Doney, and nephew Mark Broughton; family best friend Susie Butler, and Sylvia's most absolutely wonderful soul mates Dottie Bowers and Terry Kriebel. She attended St. Bernard's High School in Fitchburg, MA, where she excelled in swimming and diving and once won the New England diving championship. Sylvia joined the United States Air Force and served four and one half years, being extended due to the Vietnam War breakout. She was stationed in Texas, where she loved horses and horseback riding. When she was discharged, she came to West Palm Beach where she ended up spending the rest of her life with me. Sylvia's career was with the State of Florida, being employed as a specialist, first with the Division of Alcohol and Tobacco and then with the Florida Department of Revenue where she made many friends and loved them all. Sylvia was my lifelong first mate who never complained, no matter what. Once she came flying with me in a small plane on a windy day. After a three bounce landing, the plane settled down and as we were taxiing back to the terminal, she just looked at me and said, "Couldn't we just stay on the ground after the first bounce next time?" That's the way she was! She rode with me on the big motorcycles when we toured the mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee; in heavy rain! She looked at me and said; "we call this fun don't we." That's the way she was! She never complained. We bought our beloved boat, the Nanalue in Tarpon Springs and, not knowing anything about the waters on the west coast, we brought her all the way home with just me and Sylvia at the helm, sometimes in the dark and the rain with just a flashlight to find the channel markers. Sylvia stood on the fly bridge like a true sailor complaining not a single word but rejoicing at the end of each day over our successful day's journey. That's the way she was! She loved the water, and being (as we all have said) part fish herself, she loved cleaning the bottom of the boat while being surrounded by hundreds of multicolored fish that were trying to feed on the falling barnacles and micro shrimp that were being scraped off the hull. She thrilled when the big jacks would brush against her feet. She was my life partner in everything. We water skied the Loxahatchee all the way to Trapper Nelson's. Those were the days. She was an excellent water skier and a skilled mountain biker. We lived and loved together for forty five years in a spooky hundred year old house that she tried so hard to preserve and restore. We loved every minute. Sylvia died here, in the home that she loved so much, and peacefully slipped away from me in the early hours on Sunday morning. But I know she is truly in paradise with all of her beloved family and friends and she is happily waiting for me to catch up (as soon as I finish painting the house as she always said). GOD BLESS YOU SYLVIA! And thank you for the rose. A gathering of friends and family will take place at Sylvia's house on Sunday July 28, 2013 at 1:00 PM. Call (561) 832-5310 for directions.
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Published in The Palm Beach Post from July 23 to July 24, 2013
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