Sylvia Nash Redwine

Sylvia Nash Redwine, 81, passed away peacefully on August 30, 2021, surrounded by her children holding her tight. She was born in Raleigh, NC, on July 15, 1940, to Rowland and Josephine Nash. Sylvia graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1958. She continued her education at Wake Forest University until she transferred to Meredith College for her last two years, graduating in 1962 with a degree in home economics.

Immediately following college graduation, Sylvia married Philip Ogden Redwine on June 16, 1962, and magnified their lives with five vivacious, full speed ahead children, Angel Redwine Styres (Bill), Philip Ogden Redwine, Jr. (Rebecca), Nash Edward Redwine (Jessica), Marlot Redwine McMichael (Patrick) and Cristin Redwine DeRonja (Frank). As much as Sylvia consumed her personal and professional life with plants and flowers, these horticulture species all paled in comparison to the beauty she experienced with her children and 11 grandchildren. From hide and seek to Easter egg hunts, to gazing at her koi, Sylvia’s secret garden was her grandchildren’s paradise. The pitter-patter of their feet and giggles echoing in the air were music to Sylvia’s heart and soul.

Sylvia is predeceased by her parents, her former husband and her grandson, Sawyer Redwine Styres.

Sylvia enjoyed her entire life in Raleigh, where she launched a dynamic interior and exterior landscaping career. In her Lewis Circle home basement, Sylvia’s green thumb began with her small business, the Straw Garden evolving into a retail plant shop on Fayetteville Street Mall by the Wake County Courthouse. Sylvia then founded Plantscapes in 1976 in the family’s backyard on Ramblewood Drive before moving Planstcapes to a dairy farm on Strickland Road. Sylvia was the behind-the-scenes exquisite designer and lead installer of countless corporate offices, homes and yards in the Triangle area for over 20 years. She was a tireless and innovative entrepreneur who cared first and foremost about people and secondly creating spaces that brought others joy. She was unconditionally inclusive and loving of all those that came into her employment, and thus a very family-oriented environment flourished. No question, the most gorgeously decorated businesses and homes during the holidays were inspired by Sylvia’s pizzaz and flair. Upon retirement, she created her own oasis with her treasured dogs on McDonald Lane.

Equal to her love of all things flora was her love of fauna, well, maybe just dogs and not so much cats and other animals. She had an unbridled love for dogs and was blessed with many that loved and served her as faithful companions. She cherished cooking for friends, family and countless others that her children would bring home. It was an open and welcoming house with a continuous stream of extra children. Sylvia’s culinary talents knew little bounds mastering every category imaginable, be it sweet or savory. One always left Sylvia’s kitchen wowed and well-nourished with recipes only she seemed able to conjure up and conquer.

We will miss her wild laughter and boundless sense of humor. Maybe most of all, Sylvia’s devotion and loyalty to her family and friends ran deep and wide, but she was equally engaging with complete strangers. Sylvia had a distinctive style for decorating with eclectic and interesting objects she found during her travels, such as the roof tiles from London that lined the tops of her kitchen cabinets and mirrored church windows from New Orleans that towered in her backyard. Sylvia was a force and fearless. Much in the way, her floral talents, whether tropical, nuptial or a casket spray, touched people deeply. It is the family’s earnest hope that her memory and example will continue to be uplifting. While we are saddened for ours and many others’ loss, we are forever grateful for a woman who lived courageously, worked relentlessly and relished her time here on earth. Eloquently stated by one of her lifelong friends, “Sylvia defied conformity and created her own pathway gathering friends along the way.”

The Redwine children could not have survived the past several years without the compassionate care provided by Sylvia’s caregivers from Aware Senior Care, Heartland Hospice and Sandy, who kept us all in line with a smile and adored our mother no matter the request or need.

Memorial gifts in honor of Sylvia’s legacy to children and nature can be made to SAFEchild, Stop Abuse For Every Child, safechildnc.org or to JC Raulston Arboretum, jcra.ncsu.edu

A gathering of family and friends to celebrate Sylvia's life will be held at 11:30 am, Saturday, September 11th at the JC Raulston Arboretum, 4415 Beryl Rd., Raleigh. The service will be held outdoors, so casual dress is welcomed.

Services provided by Brown-Wynne, Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC. Memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.brownwynneraleigh.com for the Redwine family.