Sylvia C. Marshall

On Friday, June 15, 1923, on the island of Jamaica, in the parish of St. Elizabeth, in the idyllic countryside of the tiny town of White Hill, Henrietta Campbell and Albert Peart welcomed the birth of their bouncing baby girl; they named her Sylvia Colveta Peart.

1923, that was a long, long time ago. In1923, the final British troops withdrew from the Rhine Valley, signaling the end of World War I. In 1923, the US attorney general made it legal for women to wear trousers; in 1923, Marcus Garvey was arrested for mail fraud and in 1923, the first presidential address was broadcast on radio by President Coolidge. She lived through the great depression, she survived the second world war, the uncertain 50’s, navigated the turbulent 60’s, conquered the 70’s, 80’s, 90’s, stepped into the new millennium, and finally made her exit on November 13, 2018. 95 years of stubbornly defying the odds. “The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty” (Psalm 90:10) if the word of God is true, which I believe it is, Sylvia Colveta Peart was indeed a strong woman.

Daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, great-great grandmother, but to me and my siblings, she was Aunt Sylvia and to her grandchildren as “grandma.” By the time I was born, and before her grandchildren were born, Aunt Sylvia had already left the island of Jamaica. To me, she was like an angel in a far away land who from time to time would send us and her grandchildren gifts that would arrive in big cardboard barrels with clothing, food, and little goodies. She was like a second mom who was looking out for all of us from a distance. I was truly shocked when I finally met Aunt Sylvia to find that this giant of a woman I envisioned was not even 5 feet tall. She was fearless, outspoken, and a disciplinarian who promptly reminded me that not because I was so big and tall, that it didn’t mean that she could not beat me. This remained a running joke almost every time I saw her until she expired.

She received her early education at the local elementary school in White Hill, moved to Kingston, where she lived for a few years and eventually migrated to the United Kingdom in the 1950’s. My mom, Ivy, her sister, remembers that she was pregnant with her 5th child, Raymond, when Auntie left. Aunt Sylvia loved my mom, her little sister, and never forgot her. She also loved her nieces, nephews, and grandchildren dearly. These were the days before email and cell phones when letters took weeks, sometimes months to cross the Atlantic. Aunt Sylvia recalled that she often got fed up with mama’s preachy letters always encouraging her to give her heart to the Lord. She credits these letters as the reason she finally accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior and was baptized in the Seventh Day Adventist Church while living through those challenging years in England. While there, it was not all hard work and no play. She found time for love with Aubrey Marshall whom she married and became her lifelong partner until 2011 when he made his exit.

She eventually moved to New York where she resided for several years, then on to Palm Bay here in Florida. She lived and worked in this community and attended this church, at times serving as a deaconess, occasionally sang on the choir, and was involved with prison ministry.

Aunt Sylvia was a hard working woman, generous, fiercely independent, stubborn, feisty, and a personality much larger than her diminutive stature. As small as she was, she was no pushover! This was a woman whose character was forged in the flames of hardship. Many fell by the way, succumbing to the unforgiving years, but Aunt Sylvia defied the odds and kept pressing her way through. One day she said to me, “Boy, I don’t even know how or why, but God had His hand on me.”

The Dixon family and her grandchildren loved Aunt Sylvia dearly. Of all our uncles, aunts, and cousins, she was the closest and dearest. Her life’s story and ours are interwoven from start to finish. We cannot tell our stories without mentioning her and vise versa. As I said before, she loved her little sister, my mom, and her grandchildren and never forgot them. She is responsible for my mom and her grandchildren migrating to the US, who in turn brought us here. Ws are thus forever indebted to her.

After her husband passed in 2011, she honored his dying wishes to return to her family in New York. During those final years, the long grind of life began to take its toll on her and it was often challenging and difficult dealing with her. Her granddaughter became even more involved with her and we all lovingly cared for her until her demise. We will never forget the good years, the good times, and the good memories she left us. So ladies and gentlemen, on this day, we mourn the loss of Sylvia Colveta Peart Marshall and we celebrate the good memories of a life well lived.

She outlived her only son, Ralph Robinson, (2007), her husband Aubrey Marshall, and is survived by sisters Ivy Dixon and Lucille Peart: grand children: Paulette, Donovan, and Blossom (Rose): great grand children: Wayne, Priscilla, Andre, Andrea, Felicia, and Jaden, 10 great-great grand children, a host of nieces and nephews, in-laws, and friends.

Aunty knew the Lord and understood that death was not her final end. She believed in Jesus Christ, the second coming, the resurrection, and heaven. She believed that if she remained faithful and if we were faithful that we would see each other again.

So:

Don’t grieve for me, for I’m free.

I’m following the path God laid out for me.

I took His hand when I heard His call.

I turned my back and left it all.

We all will certainly miss our beloved Aunt and Grandma Sylvia.