Josephine P. Silhan

She had 3 older brothers – Mike, Louie, and Charlie, and was surrounded by many aunts, uncles, and cousins. She was passionate about art. She graduated from the Institute of Applied Arts and Sciences at New York City with an associate degree in Commercial Art. She moved to Miami, FL with her parents and brothers in the 1950’s. She was working as a Commercial Artist for a Miami advertising firm when she met her husband, Frank Vincent Silhan. He was working as an elevator operator in a high-rise office building while he was in college studying to be an engineer. Josephine would visit that building and soon they met and began dating. They were married on March 6, 1954.

After he graduated, Frank got a job with NACA (precursor to NASA) and they moved to Newport News, VA where they had their firstborn, Leslie. After Frank got a job for Boeing, they relocated to Melbourne, FL where their son, Sal, and their daughter, Debra, were born. Several years later, their youngest daughter, Marie, was born. Josephine gave up her career to become a loving housewife and mother. The family enjoyed a lot of family time with grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on their frequent trips to Miami – something the children all have fond memories of.

Josephine enjoyed her family and friends and was known to be generous with her time and affection for both. She became one of Jehovah’s Witnesses and was baptized on August 27, 1960, at a convention in Miami. She enjoyed close friendships with the local congregation of Jehovah’s Witnesses on Babcock Street in Melbourne. The congregation numbered around 80 in the 1960’s and she lived to see the number of witnesses in Melbourne grow to approximately 2,000 in 12 congregations in the Melbourne/Palm Bay area. She instilled in her children a love of Jehovah God, his Son, Jesus Christ, and the Bible. She enjoyed volunteering her time to share what she had learned from her Bible studies in the door-to-door ministry and personally conducted many Bible studies in the Melbourne area. She encouraged her children in the full-time Christian ministry, and most still share in that effort today, thanks to her help.

After the death of her husband, Frank, in March 2015, Josephine was surrounded by her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She moved into The Fountains Assisted Living and is remembered by many there for her appreciation for their help and the well-stocked candy bowl that she set out for the staff’s benefit. As many know, she had various health problems but continued to teach Bible truths while she could still speak in the hospital.

Josephine was the last of her 3 siblings and is survived by her children, Leslie Silhan, Sal (and Cindy) Silhan, Debra (and Mike) Thompson, and Marie (and Clayton) Clodfelter. She is also survived by her 4 grandchildren – Brandi Silhan, Jessie (and Zachary) Hanley, Chelsea (and Blake) Sippert, and Christian (and Karen) Silhan – and her two great grandchildren – Jasmine Douek and Sebastian Nagey. Josephine is also survived by her dear sister-in-law, Hildegard Pipitone, Hildegard’s children, and many members of the Pipitone family.

Josephine looked forward to the coming of God’s Kingdom (Matthew 6:9, 10) and the resurrection hope found at John 5:28, 29. We look forward to seeing her then when she is raised in health and happiness and reunited with her family.

We, the family of Josephine Silhan, want to thank our dear family and friends for their loving support, both during our mother’s lifetime and after her passing. “A true friend shows love at all times. And is a brother who is born for times of distress.” (Proverbs 17:17) You have proved to be such for our family. The uplifting phone calls, text messages, cards, and the food you provided us was greatly appreciated during this difficult time. We also want to thank the Fountains Assisted Living staff and the William Child’s Hospice House staff for the compassionate and loving care they gave our mother. May Jehovah God continue to bless your loving kindness.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.FloridaMemorialFH-Gardens.com for the Silhan family.