Sylvia Sholty Priest

1924 - 2012

Sylvia Sholty Priest passed away peacefully in her sleep on the morning of 5/15/15.

Born in Tokyo on April 14th, 1924, to missionary parents, Sylvia remained deeply connected to the culture of the East throughout her long, rich life. Arriving in the United States at age three and a half, she wandered the woods and lakes of rural Indiana where she cultivated the sense of wonder and love of adventure that became such notable aspects of her character.

She graduated in 1946 from Indiana Central College, where she earned her degree in biology and was certified as a teacher. Through a college friend she met her beloved husband Carl Priest. After Carl returned from France, where he was stationed during WWII, he and Sylvia were married. They cultivated a deep understanding of each other and shared a remarkable adventure in growth for sixty-two years.

Sylvia was a truth seeker, truth teller, philosopher, true friend, artist, wife, and grandmother. She was a mentor to many. She raised her four sons (Glenn, Kent, Neal and Keith) and deeply influenced many others with her adventure-loving, intuitive and determined nature.

A pragmatic and humble woman with a deep spiritual center, Sylvia introduced her children and friends to an eclectic range of authors including Pierre Tielhard de Chardin, P.D. Ouspensky, Aldous Huxley, Buddha, Confucius, Alan Watts and Kahlil Gibran. When her boys departed for college and professional schools, she opened her home to international students from the Asia-Pacific Region. She loved the cultural exchange and the young women who filled her empty nest as new-found daughters.

Carl and Sylvia retired to Athens, Georgia in 1987 to be near her third son Neal, an emergency room physician at St. Mary's Hospital. Her son Keith later moved to the area and cared for her until her last day.

Sylvia died the day after a neighborhood cruise on her new-fangled favorite toy, an electric-powered tricycle.

Sylvia leaves behind four sons, several grandchildren and many dear friends. She believed that human consciousness is reflections of reflections and that in this Universe, we are ALL interconnected.

In a friend's words: "I was impressed by her extreme sense of personal integrity and honesty about what she thought and what she believed. She stood before the wonder of the Universe with both eyes wide open and with an open mind and heart."

Sylvia wrote in her poetry:

"We are but clods of clay through which joy passes; Joy, sorrow, pleasure, pain

Moments turned to memory - In the hallowed halls of Consciousness"

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

"May the Spirit of Love

Flow from our hearts

As the fragrance of a rose

- EVERYWHERE –"

Each evening at bedtime Sylvia whispered the childhood blessing of "good night" that she had learned in Japan, often adding: "and sweet dreams." All who knew and loved her bid Sylvia "Oyasuminasai" and sweet dreams. ????????

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that friends consider a donation to Save the Children, the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Athens, the American Civil Liberties Union, or the Asian-American Student Association at UGA.

Lord & Stephens East is in charge of arrangements. www.lordandstephens.com

4/14/1924 - 5/15/2012