Sylvia Irwin Betts

Sylvia was predeceased by her parents, Jess and Marie Irwin, and beloved aunt, Fan Jones. She is survived by Charles, Kris, Ruthanne, Hannah and Hannah’s fiancé, Billy. She is also survived by her brother Jess Irwin, and his wife Trudy, brother and sister-in-law Cheryl and Gary Hartzell, and many treasured nieces, nephews and cousins.

She was born on September 25th, 1940, in Dallas, Texas to Jess M. Irwin, Jr., and Marie Albright Irwin.

The family moved to Austin, when Sylvia was one year old. She attended Austin schools Bryker Woods Elementary, University Junior High, and attended McCallum High School’s opening year in 1953. She was a cheerleader there, even though she could not jump or flip.

She was a Fine Arts Major at the University of Texas, Austin, where she broadened her knowledge and understanding of the world’s great art and honed her skills in various media including oil and water color painting, clay, pastel and print-making. She graduated in 1963 when she was pregnant with her first child.

Sylvia married Charles A. Betts on December 28, 1961 in First Southern Presbyterian Church, (now Central Presbyterian), by the Reverend Carl O. Eaton at a time when he was establishing Covenant Presbyterian Church, which was to become Sylvia’s and her family’s home church for the next 62 years.

Sylvia pursued a fashion illustration career at Scarbrough’s Department Store. Having decided to work outside the home, she found childcare where daughter Kris was looked after. One afternoon after work, Sylvia arrived to pick up the baby and found her in a crib next to a drafty window. Kris caught a cold, and at that moment, Sylvia decided to stay home and raise her children.

Sylvia enjoyed her daughters immensely. For daughter Ruthanne, Sylvia loved being a Team Mom in softball, basketball and volleyball seasons. She delighted in driving Ruth and her teammates all over the southwest for tournaments, consistently showing up with coolers full Gatorade and oranges. And Sylvia even enjoyed sweating through some of Shakespeare’s great plays, watching daughter Kris’s performances.

Throughout the 1970s and 80s, Sylvia continued expanding her artistic gifts by learning how to make jewelry. Her expressive, unique and lovely pieces have been purchased and enjoyed by numerous friends and Austinites.

Some of her greatest loves included the mountains of Colorado where she flew kites, hiked, and camped, and her trips with dear friends to Europe to be in the presence of some of the world’s finest art works she had studied at the University of Texas.

Because of difficulties in the late 1980s, she and Charles chose to leave their home and move out to Volente, or The Lake Place. Sylvia loved and nurtured her new home that she and Charles shared with their dearest animal companions – Aggie, Shep, Little, Katie and Ollie Cat for more than 30 years. She created beautiful and surprising pockets of magic using natural plants and rocks in combination with twinkle lights, odd bits of folk art and touches of her own works. Her thoughts were bent on creating healing places where a body could sit in contemplation or prayer.

In 1991, Sylvia rejoiced to welcome her only grandchild, Hannah Ruth. Sylvia was present during Hannah’s first 3 weeks of life, quietly doing the work of making the household run smoothly. She shared her wisdom, care and peace as Kris learned to care for a newborn. Sylvia and Hannah bonded during their time in the laundry room as Sylvia placed the colicky baby on top of the gyrating washing machine to lull Hannah to sleep.

Four and a half years ago the unwelcome diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease arrived. Sylvia’s response was, “Well, it is what it is, and it ain’t what it ain’t,” and we began that journey. Charles would like friends to know that, as dreaded a disease as it is, it gifted him and Sylvia the opportunity for a deeper and more tender relationship to evolve.

A private commitment service was held graveside at Austin Memorial Park earlier in the week.

A memorial service in celebration of and gratitude for Sylvia’s life will be held Tuesday, September 17, 2024 at 2:30 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Drive, Austin. Livestream will be available at www.covenant.org/stream

In honor of Sylvia, if you own a piece of her jewelry, please wear it to her memorial.