Virginia Elaine Sylvester

Dr. Virginia Elaine “Ginny” Sylvester, age 91, of Zelienople, PA, died on Thursday, December 5, 2024. She was born on June 20, 1933, in Cleveland, OH, and is the daughter of the late Myrle Hardt and Elsie Thomson English.

Virginia taught visually impaired children as an itinerant teacher for over 30 years. She attended the University of Pittsburgh, received both her BS and Masters Degree and received her PhD from the University of Texas at Austin in Special Education. She enjoyed traveling the world and giving seminars to teachers of visually impaired children. Virginia was well renowned in her field and published several books including “Teaching the Visually Impaired Child” (three editions).

Ginny was known as the historian of the family and has written several hardbound family histories for the English, Bishop, Broussard, Weiss, and Sylvester families.

She was affectionately known to her grandson, Matt Broussard as “Gar” and enjoyed spending time with him growing up, helping with school projects and feeding his imagination.

After retiring, Virginia enjoyed painting, knitting and crocheting, and continuing to travel.

She is survived by her daughter, Elisabeth Broussard of Austin, TX; son, Robert David Bishop of Elizabethton, TN; siblings, Dr. Sandra Woods of Morehead City, NC, Joan Tyska of Long Island, NY and Noel Holdsworth of New Bern, NC; and grandchildren Matthew Broussard of San Francisco, CA, Ryan Maclaine Bishop of St. Petersburg, FL and John S. Bishop of Reading, PA.

In addition to her parents, Virginia is preceded in death by her third husband, John Wilfred Sylvester, who died on October 23, 2024; her brother, Myrle Thomson English, who died on March 22, 2024; and her son John Stephen Bishop, who died on January 21, 2017.

A memorial service will be held on Monday, December 9, 2024 at 11:00 a.m. at the Seaman Memorial Chapel of Passavant Retirement Community, 105 Burgess Drive, Zelienople, PA 16063. Arrangements are being cared for by Campbell’s Chippewa Funeral Home, Inc., 2618 Darlington Road, Beaver Falls, PA 15010 (Randy R. Wheeler, supervisor, 724-843-2500).

To share a memory or condolence, please visit www.campbellfuneralhomes.com