Sylvia Jean Graham Gardner September 30, 1940 - March 30, 2022 Loving mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. IN MEMORY OF SYLVIA JEAN GRAHAM GARDNER DATE OF BIRTH SEPTEMBER 30, 1940 DATE OF DEATH MARCH 30, 2022 AGE AT DEATH 81 YEARS 6 MONTHS 30 DAYS CLERGY IN SYLVIA’S CARE FATHER LAVERNE FREEMAN CHAPLAIN REY ACEVEDO PLACE OF INTERNMENT CHRISTIAN MEMORIAL ROCHESTER HILLS, MICHIGAN Sylvia Jean (Graham) Gardner was born to Juanita Alberta (Barker) Graham and Oscar Ezra Graham in Amherstdale, West Virginia on September 30, 1940. Sylvia married her husband Clifton “Bud” Floyd Gardner, who predeceased her in 1995. She leaves behind their three children: Cheryl Lynn Klemanski of Valrico, FL, Scott Floyd Gardner of Warren, MI and Suzanne (Craig) Caldwell of Wilmington, NC as well as eight grandchildren, Kandice M. Caldwell, Hunter S. Caldwell, McKennzie S. Caldwell, Perry G. Klemanski, Paul D. (Megan) Klemanski, Aaron M. Klemanski, Lisa B. Klemanski and Corinne B. (Adam) Dropiewski; three great-grandsons, Konnor Caldwell, Jaxon Klemanski and Benson Klemanski as well as many nieces and nephews. She was the oldest of four siblings and leaves behind her sisters Mary F. (William, deceased) Unik of Milton WV, Sharon S. (James) Chapman of Kewanna IN and her brother Oscar E. (Faye) Graham Jr. of Bruceton TN. Sylvia graduated from Man High School in 1958, she lived in Portsmouth OH for a short while before moving to Detroit, MI where she worked as a cashier at the family theatre in Downtown Detroit and later worked at the Mt. Clemens Drive-In. She met Bud soon after arriving to Detroit and was a devoted wife for 33 years before he passed in 1995. Sylvia had a strong faith in God and became a member of the Spring Lake United Methodist Church in Sebring, FL in March of 1998 and enjoyed attending with her aunt and taking many trips with the Church. Sylvia enjoyed doing many different things like volunteering in the grade schools, gardening and canning, ceramics, painting, sewing, quilting and crocheting. For many years she crocheted afghans and hats for cancer patients receiving chemo treatments at Royal Oak Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, MI. Sylvia was an avid reader, thoroughly enjoyed genealogy and loved learning new things. She loved eclectic music and took pride in her collections. She truly enjoyed being a grandmother and made quilts for each of her grandchildren. She made a quilt for the grade school auction to help raise money for the PTO; a family from Germany won the bid and was so impressed with the amount of detail she put into the quilt that they insisted on coming to her house to meet her in person. They told her it would be going back to Germany with them and that they were not sure if they were going to display it or use it but that they would take very good care of it. She of course insisted that they use it! She loved being surrounded by the numerous pets in the house and even though she’d rather cuddle up with one of the cats, the family Parrot, Ziggy, had a special love for her and would immediately beeline to her when he came out of his cage. She loved all of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren more than anything else. Her eyes would light up when she saw them or heard from them or read something about them or saw a new picture of them. They brought her so much happiness even when they were not around; they truly meant the world to her. She always had a smile on her face and was hilarious sometimes especially while watching her favorite sport teams and making commentaries. She made everyone she met feel like family. She was a peaceful person to be around, had a simplistic manner to this existence and treated everyone with kindness and respect. She touched the hearts of everyone she met and a part of her will live on through us as we remember her and her beautiful ways. Sylvia held a particular Poem close to her heart for many years and she wanted it shared upon her passing. Enjoy. Dear Beautiful Wife, Mother, Grandmother, Great-Grandmother, Aunt, Sister and Friend: You will be missed dearly but never forgotten. Thank you for touching our hearts and sharing yours with all of us. In Honor of Your Wishes, here is A Sun Set on Lake Istokpoga by your friend George Dellinger. May You Rest in Peace. ____________________________________________________ A SUN SET ON LAKE ISTOKPOGA IT WAS BEAUTIFUL ON OUR LAKE TODAY, SOMETHING LIKE THE BEAUTY OF THE FLOWERS IN MAY, BUT FOR ME THE DAY IS INCOMPLETE UNTIL THE SUN AND THE WATER BEGIN TO MEET-AND ALL THE BIRDS THAT FLY SO HIGH COME HOME TO ROOST IN THE REEDS NEARBY. AS THE SUN SINKS EVER SO SLOWLY IN THE WEST THIS IS THE TIME OF THE DAY THAT I LOVE BEST, NOW IS THE TIME OF CHANGE, THE TIME WHEN THE DAY EVER SO SLOWLY-TURNS INTO NIGHT AND THE SUN RELUCTANTLY, GIVES UP ITS LIGHT NOW ALL THE COLORS THE SKY CAN HOLD THE BEAUTIFUL COLORS OF YELLOW OF BLUE AND OF GOLD NOW THE YELLOW AND THE BLUE AMALGAMATE TO CREATE SO MANY COLORS THAT NO ARTIST COULD EVER PAINT, THE COLOR OF GOLD AS THE CLOUDS GO BY PAINT SO MANY PICTURES IN THE SKY THAT THEIR PRESENCE CAN ALMOST BAFFLE THE EYE! NOW AS THE SUN SLIPS SLOWLY INTO THE WEST THERE IS NO COLOR THAT I HAVE MISSED AS ALL THE BEAUTY OF COLORS EVER SO SLOWLY UNFOLD THEY CREATE SO MANY SPECTACULAR SIGHTS FOR ME TO BEHOLD! AND NOW THE TWILIGHT (THE LIGHT FROM THE SKY BETWEEN FULL NIGHT AND SUNRISE) SETTLES IN AND THE NIGHT LIFE SOUNDS BEGIN I LISTEN TO THE SONG OF THE WHIPPORWILL AS HIS BEAUTIFUL SONG COMES DRIFTING DOWN FROM A FAR DISTANT HILL I LISTEN TO THE HOOT OF A NEARBY OWL AS THE EVENING TURNS INTO NIGHT HE BEGINS HIS NOCTURNAL FLIGHT NOW THE SUN HAS SET AND THE EVENING HAS GONE AND THE NIGHT BIRDS HAVE SUNG THEIR BEAUTIFUL SONGS NOW IS THE TIME FOR ALL THE CREATURES TO REST AND I, EVEN AS THE NIGHT WINDS BLOW MUST PREPARE MYSELF FOR IT IS TO REST THAT I MUST GO FOR THIS IS THE WAY OF ALL THINGS THAT LIVE SO REST WELL TONIGHT FOR TOMORROW WE MUST ALL GIVE AGAIN—UNTIL THE SUN NO LONGER RISES FOR US. MR. DEE (AUTHOR GEORGE DELLINGER)