Sylvia Annaliese de Langen

Sylvia Annaliese Zucker was born in Wurzburg, Germany December 31, 1927. Her childhood was spent in the small village of Gerolzhofen where she lived with her grandparents, mother and brother. She excelled in school and was offered the opportunity to attend higher education as World War II broke out.

After the war, Sylvia immigrated to America. It was on her journey by ship where she met her soulmate, Pieter de Langen. She always said it was love at first sight. They shared 30 years of marriage.

Sylvia and Pieter eventually made their home in California, where they raised two daughters: Tia Elisabeth and Tanja Davia. When the girls completed grade school, Sylvia began to attend college to earn a degree in education, becoming a high school English teacher at Hemet High School for eighteen years. Later, she spent years counseling seniors for graduation.

After retirement, Sylvia travelled extensively to places like Antarctica, Patagonia, Norway, Tahiti, China, Egypt, Tunisia, the Panama Canal. She also had her grandchildren accompany her on cruises to Alaska, Mexico, islands in the Caribbean and river cruises in Europe. Sharing and instilling the love and power of travel was very important to her. In addition to travel, she was a master seamstress, a talented baker, excellent cook, an avid reader and loved to tend her garden which always had roses, lots of roses.

Her final four years were lived in Cardiff, CA near family.

She left this world peacefully to reunite with her husband and family that preceded her. She was three months shy of turning ninety nine.

She leaves behind two daughters, three grandsons, one granddaughter, a great granddaughter and a great grandson. To them, she will always be an inspiration and an example of perseverance, passion, adventure, insight, and tradition.

She will be greatly missed.

December 31, 1927- September 19, 2026