Sylvia Grace Borders Langston

On the evening of Friday November 7, 2025, Sylvia Grace Borders Langston passed away peacefully at Beacon Place hospice center when her angels took her spirit home to be with the Lord Jesus Christ. She was born in the small community of Patterson Springs, NC in Cleveland County on December 30, 1937. She was the youngest child having four brothers (two who died young) and three sisters. Her father was George Marks Borders who had a farm and ran the local post office out of the front of his house. He also did other work teaching school and helping the county to grade a roadbed using a mule team. Her mother was Della Hord Borders who served for decades as the church pianist and organist, in addition to working on the farm and raising a family.

Sylvia started school early at age 5 but suffered a severe burn on her arm later that year in an accident at home. The injury caused her to miss much of that school year, as well as having many follow-up issues from the scarring. This trauma affected her for the rest of her life both physically and emotionally.

She finished her local schooling at Number Three High School and was the class valedictorian. She met John David Brooks while attending, and the two of them were married not long after graduation. She worked at Red Bridges Barbeque among other jobs while going to junior college at Gardner-Webb. After finishing there, she went on to attend North Carolina State University where she completed a degree in mathematics.

For most of the 1960s through 1980s, Sylvia worked as a computer programmer for Bell Laboratories and its subsequent companies Western Electric and Lucent Technologies. After about thirty years of service, she took early retirement when it was offered due to corporate restructuring that was going on. Following that time, as well as before when circumstances allowed, she and her sisters often went on tours traveling together all over the U.S. and the world, in addition to frequently visiting with one another locally. People who met or knew them would call them as “The Four Sisters” because of their many similarities, as well as the manner in which they were often seen together. The four of them continued their many travels, at times with a nephew leading a tour or a niece accompanying them, until various health matters and death brought their time together to an end.

Sylvia devoted much of her free time to serving her church, which was her great passion in life as a Christian. Over the years while she was an active member of Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, she was involved with several Bible study programs. She also taught Sunday School, spending many hours in her study materials for each week’s lesson rather than just relying on the provided class booklets. Additionally, she frequently sang in the church choir and enthusiastically participated in “The Singing Christmas Tree” program they did each December. When she could no longer sing regularly due to her health, she continued as part of the Senior Choir and its more limited programs. Away from church, she also led group singing of traditional gospel music with her extended family at their annual reunions each year in Patterson Springs. With the assistance of several relatives, she put together a CD of them singing many of their favorite songs.

However, her greatest accomplishment was the many years of work she did with the Prayer Room Ministry, first assisting with the program, then later overseeing it and rewriting the manual for its operation. She was involved with the prayer ministry for about twenty years and was recognized by the church for her contributions in this regard. She did not cease overseeing that ministry until fall 2024 as her health was beginning to decline.

In her later years, she could no longer drive except locally during the day, as it became difficult for her to see clearly at night, and she became fatigued more easily. However, she continued traveling with her son who drove her to their annual family reunions, as well as to dinner almost every weekend when they visited together. She was still driving herself to church functions, various medical appointments, and on other errands until late February 2025 when she suffered a fall from blood pressure issues and was hospitalized for a prolonged period. From June afterward, she lived at home with the assistance of caregivers until she suffered a stroke in mid-October.

She is preceded in death by her parents; her first husband, John David Brooks; her second husband, James Richard Langston; her brothers, Kenneth Borders, Horace Borders, Hugh Borders and Gene Borders; her sisters, Helen Blanton, Ann Miller and Jennie Ivey; and her daughter-in-law, Patricia Langston.

Survivors include her son, Mark Brooks Langston; nieces and nephews, DiAnne Borders, Ken Borders, Mike Borders, Susan Lail, Penny Canipe, Rachael Canipe, David Blanton, Sally Waters, Debbie Cash, Janice Wright and Donna Long; numerous great nieces and great nephews, and many other family members and friends.

A memorial service will be held at 3:00 PM Friday, November 14, 2025, at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church with Pastor Robert Keatts officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the memorial service at the church. A separate graveside service and burial will be held at 2:00 PM Saturday November 22, 2025, in Patterson Springs Baptist Church Cemetery in Grover, NC with Reverend Jerome Cash officiating. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Missions Fund at Friendly Avenue Baptist Church, 4800 W. Friendly Ave., Greensboro, NC 27410. Hayworth-Miller Kernersville Chapel is assisting the Langston Family.