"The Heavens Declare the Glory of God"...Benedetto Marcello
EULOGY OF SYLVANIE PHILLS
Somerset
Sylvanie Phills passed away surrounded by loving family on Sunday October 20, 2013. She was 71 years old.
Sylvanie Ramona Phills, the first child born to Stephanie Wilkinson and Adolphus Prescod, was born on May 11, 1942 in Morvant, Trinidad and Tobago. In addition to her primary schooling, Syl attended Johnson’s Commercial School in San Juan, Trinidad where she studied short hand, typing and bookkeeping. She emigrated to the United States when she was twenty and lived in Brooklyn, NY. Syl’s first job was with Paulin chandelier company. While working, she went to Baruch College at nights and obtained a B.S. in Accounting. Syl then became an accountant for the American Heart Association.
Syl met Artie Phills in 1966 and they were married on July 2, 1972. They first lived in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn and later moved to Somerset, New Jersey in 1975. Over the last 41 years, Syl and Artie raised their two children, Reisha and Daryl, and had the recent honor of becoming grandparents (Mimi and Pappy) to grandson Justin and granddaughter Jordan.
When Reisha and Daryl were in elementary school, Syl became a substitute teacher in the Franklin Township, NJ Public School System. She later took on the new challenge of becoming technologically proficient and began taking online classes and traveling to William Paterson College to obtain a Media Services Certification. Syl was then hired as the full time librarian at Pine Grove Manor School in 1989. She very much enjoyed becoming a librarian and helping young children discover the joy in reading.
Syl continued to take an active role in the school system long after her children graduated. She was part of the founding group of parents to start "Project Graduation" at Franklin High School, an all night activity filled event for seniors after graduation day. She was also the site manager for the CARE after school program.
Syl had a green thumb and a love for gardening. She was known for having many beautiful plants, some that she has maintained and nurtured for over 40 years. She would break seedlings and start new plants to share with others. If people had a dying plant, they knew they could bring it to Syl and she would not only bring it back to life, but would help it thrive! She would also bring many of her plants into the library every year, which the children enjoyed very much.
Syl was also an exceptional cook, an avid traveler and a dedicated friend. With a smile that would brighten up any room, Syl had a heart of gold and was a selfless spirit. She will surely be missed.
Syl is survived by her husband Artie of 41 years; daughter Reisha and her husband Norman; son Daryl and his wife Lyla; sisters Maureen, Olive, and Elverne; brothers Rudy, Cooper and Camy; cousins Thelma and Jean; grandchildren Justin and Jordan; many nieces, nephews, friends and family.
Syl will always be remembered with love and her generous spirit will remain with us always. May she rest in peace and may light perpetual shine upon her.
Visitation will be from 5 pm to 9 pm on Friday, October 25 at the Gleason Funeral Home 1360 Hamilton Street Somerset NJ 08873. A funeral service will be held on Saturday, October 26th at 10 am at the Christ Church in New Brunswick. Burial will follow at Woodbridge Memorial Gardens in Woodbridge, NJ.
Acknowledgement
The family of Sylvanie Phills would like to thank everyone who sympathized with them at this sad time.
We pray thee, O Lord, that thou wilt keep in thy tender love this life that we hold in blessed memory. Help us, who continue here, to serve thee with constancy, trusting in the promises of eternal life; that hereafter we may be united with thy blessed children in the glory of thy Presence; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to The Episcopal Relief and Development Fund - Gifts For Life. When making the donation, please note/mention it's in Memory of Sylvanie Phills. Here is the online link:
Woodbridge Memorial Gardens of Woodbridge, New Jersey on Route 1
Funeral Arrangements Entrusted to:
GLEASON FUNERAL HOME
1360 Hamilton St,
Somerset, NJ 08873
(732)-545-0700
Ewart Rouse
Eulogy for Sylvanie:
October, 2013.
The year was 1958.
It was the year Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole;
When the now-defunct West Indies Federation was formed;
When Sputnik 1 reentered the atmosphere and burned up;
When President Eisenhower sent the National Guard to protect the first black students who had enrolled at Central High School, Little Rock, Arkansas.
It was against the backdrop of these world events that I first met Sylvanie Wilkinson, whom we all know today as Sylvanie Phills.
Sylvanie and I were among several dozen teenagers who attended a business school – Johnson’s Commercial – in Trinidad. We studied shorthand, typing and bookkeeping. It was a school that had a mentoring system under which the brighter students mentored those who needed help.
Needless to say, Sylvanie – very outgoing, very smart and always ready to lend a helping hand – was a mentor.
That mentoring was the foundation on which she built a life-long career as an educator and librarian when she migrated to the United States in the early 1960's.
When I think of Sylvanie I think of those early years in Trinidad, going on school trips to Mount Saint Benedict – an iconic monastery in the hills eight miles east of Port-of-Spain, the capital.
I think of school picnics to Blue Basin – trekking through the mountains with our picnic baskets to the waterfall on the other side of the hills.
I also think of her later life in America, as a devoted wife of Artie, and wonderful mother to Reisha and Daryl. I think of all those summer backyard pool parties, and her barbeque.
“Are you hungry?” was the first question Sylvanie asked whenever you visited her home.
Everybody was always hungry for Sylvanie’s home-cooking.
Devoted wife, ideal mother who inculcated in her children the same love of learning that she possessed – that was Sylvanie.
But she was much more than that.
I recently shared with Reisha a story that she wasn’t aware of. I told her that her mother made it possible for Vanda and me to marry in New York when she sponsored Vanda to get her visa to come to America.
“Oh, wow!” Reisha exclaimed. “You mean she was like Cupid?”
Yes, Reisha, she was that, too, in her spare time.
Sylvanie was more than my friend. She was the godmother of the last of my three daughters, on whom she showered birthday and Christmas gifts. She also became my wife’s best friend. Every Friday, at 7 o’clock, they called each other. The Friday evening ritual continued up to the day before she died.
Today, we join with the rest of this congregation to honor her memory and feel grateful for the privilege of having known her.
Now that’s she has left us, for a Higher Place, it is for Artie, Reisha and Daryl to carry on her legacy of kindness, generosity and all-round decent human being – and after them, Sylvanie’s grand kids, whom she was lucky to have been blessed.
Our friend Syl - By Mak Richards
My friends: Know today that an angel walked amongst us. And if you were fortunate enough, you got to call her ‘friend’. My wife Aloma and I were indeed that fortunate.
Of all of the superlatives that one can use to describe Sylvanie, one phrase seemed to eclipse the others – ‘awesome friend’. To us, this captured the essence of who she was.
Syl was the kind of friend who cared for others sometimes more than she did for herself. For several years when her children were yet kids, a group of us held these wonderful family nights once every month. On a rotating basis, we would host them at a different family’s home. The host did most of the cooking and turned over his/her home to twelve core families plus additional invitees. Kids were always welcome. As Artie would say, it was a time of great fellowship. Whenever it was Artie & Syl’s turn to host, I loved going to their home because Sylvanie had a way of making me feel special. She’d say to me, ‘Uncle Mak, I know that you can’t have that, so I made you this instead’, as she catered to my special dietary needs.
Sylvanie, as a friend, was unstinting. She would call frequently to make sure that everything was fine with you and the family. And if you didn’t return calls as quickly or as frequently as you should’ve, she didn’t hold it against you. She just called again if she didn’t hear from you. She loved to share and would spend countless minutes on the phone with Aloma where they recounted how the families were doing. She was proud of Daryl and Reisha and their accomplishments, but she was over the moon about Justin and Jordan. Oh how I wish they could’ve experienced firsthand the wonder of their Grandmother.
I’ve watched Sylvanie as a mother to her children always putting them first. She was determined that they have the very best childhood memories and worked assiduously to ensure that. Even when she was fighting her most recent health battles, her concern was for others; she would say ‘Poor Reisha, she has to worry about me and take care of Justin too and it must be so hard for her’. Reisha of course, just like her Mom, was the General managing just fine.
There is a character in an old movie who says ‘Teacher says, every time a bell rings an angel gets his wings.’ So if you listen very carefully, you just might hear a gentle tinkle. And later tonight when you go outside, look towards the night skies. If you see a shooting star, it just might be our friend trying out her new wings – Atta girl Syl. Rest in peace Sylvanie, It was an honor knowing you and a privilege to call you friend. May light perpetual shine upon you!
Tribute to Sylvanie from Artie, Reisha & Daryl, delivered by Vin Phills
Artie, Reisha and Daryl have asked that I read a tribute to Sylvanie on their behalf.
Where does one begin to even describe or summarize the impact and influence of Sylvanie? There are not enough words; there is not enough time. All that we can say is thank you.
Thank you for being a devoted loving wife and a great partner. Thank you for being a true family person, the essential heart and soul of our immediate family. Thank you for being the great counselor and chief financial officer of the family.
Thank you for being an amazing mother, for being our biggest cheerleader and for taking a genuine interest in everything we did, from sporting events and intern projects to fundraising activities. Mom never knew much about football, baseball or track and field, but was at all of Daryl’s events. She would only buy Vaseline products when Reisha worked for the company’s public relations firm. Syl was a staunch supporter of all of Artie’s fundraising activities and was always at his side at important events.
Thank you for the wonderful vacation memories. Mom would only want to go to places that had a beach where she could see her feet. That made us spoiled as kids because the Jersey Shore wasn’t cutting it. We were very fortunate to be children with passports at a young age and to see some of the best beaches in the world. We are so thankful that we were able to fulfill Syl’s wish to go on a Mediterranean cruise last summer. The first family trip with the new husbands and wives could go many ways, but for us it was truly a fun time with a new level of bonding for all of us.
Thank you for all your sacrifices and dedication to ensure that we had the best childhood one could ever ask for; We have wonderful childhood memories of homemade cakes for birthdays, of Mom allowing us to have pool parties that made us neighborhood celebrities and of her being “The community mother” to all of our friends. As we are now just adjusting to becoming parents, we have a whole new appreciation for all the things Mom did for us. We now realize how blessed we were to be able to have her stay at home with us.
Thank you for being you. So many of Mom’s friends are a testament to the type of person she was. It was with pleasant wonder and amazement that we would receive gifts from people we never met, but knew they were highly regarded friends of Mom. And she did the same thing for her friends and co-workers’ children, some of whom she’d never met but shared in their joy of engagements, weddings, new babies or big accomplishments.
Thank you for being such a loving grandmother. Syl loved her grandchildren so much and was determined to fight in order to see them grow up. She often wondered why the Lord wanted to separate her from them. As difficult as this was to ponder, she would always end by saying, “It is what it is. This is the hand that I’m dealt.”
Even during this great time of sorrow, so many of Mom’s friends and family have gone above and beyond, traveling far and wide to check on us and bringing food. We know she would be doing the same thing if the situation were reversed. We are so grateful and thankful for each and every one of you.
My wife, our Mom was a phenomenal woman. She did not want people worrying or fussing over her, which was why she was private about her condition. Despite her grave illness, she always thought of others before she thought of herself. She was admired by many people for her unselfish giving and support.
This physical world will never be the same without Syl and we begin the next chapter of our lives with heavy hearts. Hopefully we can find comfort in knowing we are the lucky chosen ones to have had Sylvanie Ramona Phills touch our lives. May we continue to feel her loving spirit with us always.
In Loving Memory
Sylvanie Phills
May 11, 1942
October 20, 2013
Your gentle face and patient smile, with sadness we recall. You had a kindly word for each, and died beloved by all. The voice is mute and stilled the heart, that loved us well and true. Ah, bitter was the trial to part from one so good as you.
You are not forgotten loved one, nor will you ever be. As long as life and memory last, we will remember thee.
We miss you now, our hearts are sore, as time goes by we miss you more, your loving smile, your gentle face, no one can take your vacant place.
Pg. 491
