Sylvia Ann Carvajal Sutton

Sylvia Ann Carvajal Sutton, age 86, passed away peacefully on September 17, 2025 in San Antonio. Sylvia was a beloved sister, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother and the daughter of Frank Zepeda Carvajal and Florence Leal Carvajal.

Sylvia attended high school at Ursuline Academy and then entered Our Lady of the Lake College/University where she received a Bachelor of Science in Nutrition in 1960, followed by two Masters degrees in Educational Supervision and Educational Administration.

Sylvia started as a teacher in the San Antonio Independent School District (SAISD) for grades one through six from 1960-1968. She was a Staff Consultant for U.S. Office of Education/Southwest Educational Development Laboratory from 1968-1970. There she developed and implemented reading, writing, social studies, science and oral language development materials for minority students in Bilingual Education and English as a Second Language programs. She traveled extensively during this time giving presentations and in-service training to school districts in Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, Louisiana, Oklahoma, California, Hawaii, and Guam. From 1970-1993, Sylvia was an Elementary School Principal in the SAISD at Briscoe and Crockett Elementary Schools where she managed the educational programs and supervised the professional and support staffs. After retirement, Sylvia worked as a curriculum consultant for the following textbook publishers: McMillan-McGraw Hill, DLM SRA, and Hampton Brown Books.

Sylvia was the Second Vice Regent of the San Antonio de Bexar Chapter, National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a member of the Assistance League of San Antonio, a member of St Monica’s Guild and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem whose primary mission is to support and protect the Christian presence in the Holy Land. She was a past board member of the National Archives in Washington, D.C., representing the Texas Connection with the American Revolution Association. Sylvia served as a board member of the San Antonio Living History Association. She was a member of Los Bexarenos, Daughters of the Republic of Texas, and the Order of Los Grenaderos y Damas de Galvez. Sylvia was also a member of the San Antonio Historical and Genealogy Society, the Texas State Genealogical Society, the NSDAR Spanish Task Force in Washington DC. Sylvia was a Genealogy Consultant certified by the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Sylvia enjoyed international travel, horses, playing the piano, ballroom dancing, watching old movies, genealogy and Placido Domingo. She was an avid reader and poured over books containing the history of her family - the Carvajals and Leals. She loved and felt great joy helping and supporting her family.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: assistanceleague.org/san-antonio/ or mail to Assistance League of San Antonio, P.O. Box 13130, San Antonio, TX 78213, annotate that it is for Operation School Bell.