Sylvia Elaine Wilson

Sylvia Elaine Wilson

     On Wednesday, February 17, 2021, Sylvia Elaine Wilson passed away at the age of 96, at Harbour Assisted Living in Monroeville, Pennsylvania.  Sylvia, known to her family as Lanie, was born on September 6, 1924 in Ellwood City, Pennsylvania, the third child of George and Lola (McClintock) Wilson. She graduated from Ellwood High School, studied one year at Geneva College in Beaver Falls, then transferred to Penn State.  In high school and college she participated in amateur theatre, specializing in costumes and makeup.

     After teaching English briefly, she got her Master of Special Education at the University of Pittsburgh and became a teacher of the deaf at Western Pennsylvania School for the Deaf.  Upon retiring , she began volunteering as a literacy tutor for adults, including English as a Second Language. 

      Throughout her life, she enjoyed playing tennis, bridge, scrabble, and many other games.  She also loved movies and live theatre, frequently traveling to New York to see Broadway productions.  She traveled abroad to Morocco and several times to Spain where she visited one of her ESL students.

     Sylvia was predeceased by her siblings and their spouses:

Malcolm and his wife Virginia (née Vance), Shirley and her husband John M. Small, Rex and his surviving former wife Virginia Marguerite (née Beachem), Lois and her husband Roy Shoup, and Gerald and his wife Barbara (née Roberts).

     Although Aunt Lanie had no children, she is survived by many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews, who loved her and will miss her.  She was the aunt who had time for us, played with us, and taught us many things -- from sports to manners to family lore.

No memorial will be held at this time due to the pandemic.

If you wish to honor her memory, Sylvia requested donations to be sent to Habitat for Humanity.

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