Sylvia Ann Davis

As a child, Sylvia was sweet and inquisitive. She once got her arm stuck in a ringer washing machine because she sat watching it, trying to figure out how it worked. Sylvia wasn’t a fighter, but she would always stand up for her brothers and sisters however she could.

In 1974, their mother moved the family to Austin, Texas, where Sylvia graduated from Del Valle High School on May 30, 1980.

On June 9, 1980, Sylvia gave birth to her firstborn daughter, Jenika Lashay Ann Wright. She was gainfully employed at Travis State School alongside her older sister, Jenise, and their mother, Audrey.

In May of 1984, Sylvia married. She packed up her belongings—and Jenika—and moved to Fort Clayton, Panama with her new husband. Over the years, Sylvia worked as a school nurse and volunteered on base, serving and entertaining other military families. On September 26, 1988, she gave birth to her second child, Timothy Andre’ Davis.

The family left Panama in 1989, just before the military base was attacked. Their next home was in Fayetteville, North Carolina, where Sylvia continued to support military families through volunteer work. After a short stay, the family moved again to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where her third child, James Edward Davis, was born on June 20, 1990. Sylvia remained steady by continuing to volunteer while her and others’ loved ones served in wartime.

In 1991, Sylvia moved back to Del Rio, Texas, to begin a new chapter as a single mother of three. A year later, she returned to Austin, where she worked at the Texas School for the Deaf as well as in home healthcare.

In 1996, Sylvia began a long-term career with the City of Austin, eventually retiring in December 2024 from her position at Hornsby Bend as a Treatment Operations & Maintenance Assistant. Sylvia loved her job and talked to anyone who would listen about what she did—always proud of being the only woman in her role for so long. Her coworkers became a second family to her. She nurtured, fussed, joked, cooked, and most of all—loved her work family.

Also in 1996, Sylvia purchased a home and soon after found her church home at Zion Rest Missionary Baptist Church. She was a faithful member, getting her kids involved in church programs and serving in the Music Ministry as a soprano in the choir. She was also active in the Prayer Group and, at one point, helped oversee the church kitchen alongside her daughter, Jenika.

Sylvia lived to serve the Lord. If she could help—or simply be present—she would be. She gave her life to Christ as a young girl and made sure her children had the same foundation and knowledge of God.

Sylvia was a friendly soul who made friends everywhere she went. Her kids often found themselves nudging her, saying, “Mom, can we go already?” She was a die-hard Dallas Cowboys fan, a lover of dogs, gardening, crocheting, and—of course—shopping for shoes and purses. She was always ready for a good road trip or adventure.

Sylvia Ann Wright-Davis was preceded in death by her father, Norris Wright, her mother, Audrey Simmons, and her favorite brother-in-law, Gregory S. Ayers.

Her spirit lives on through her children:

Daughter: Jenika L.A. Wright-Jordan (husband Antonio "BamBam" Jordan)

Son: Timothy A. Davis (wife Lindsay Davis)

Son: James E. Davis (wife Margaret Davis)

Grandchildren:

Justys Neihman Wright, Christopher James Thomas Jr., Antonio Miguel Jordan Jr., Av’rell Ladon Jordan, Maxwell Dean Davis, Alayah Aron Coddington, Ezekiel Adam Coddington

Family:

Uncle: William Haynes (wife Pamela Haynes)

Sisters: Jenise Ayers (widowed), Allison Johnson

Brothers: Ronald Wright (wife Barbara Wright), George Wright

And numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins