Sylvia Sheward McQueen

Mrs. Sylvia McQueen, 87, slipped the surly bonds of Earth on November 12, 2022. Eight decades and an ocean away, Sylvia was born to Mr. Albert Leslie Sheward and Mrs. Lydia Rose Allison on August 15, 1935—in London, England. At the tender age of five, World War II descended upon the Sheward family’s hearth and home. And, despite their best efforts at keeping calm and carrying on, Sylvia and her siblings were orphaned by the time she turned 16.

Miraculously, Sylvia’s story does not end amidst the death and devastation in her homeland’s capital. No doubt steeled by early tragedies, she wrestled from the ashes and refined her fascinations with crooning, clothing, and intercontinental travel. Later, as an Air Force spouse raising five children, she took the Ohio real estate market by storm.

Ultimately, Sylvia’s insatiable thirst for adventure led her family to a desert oasis in Glendale, Arizona. There, she continued to serve as an esteemed Peoria city planner, an engaged Luke Air Force Base community partner, and a lifelong military dependent, mother, and spouse. Throughout her life, Sylvia was known for her flawless raven hair, her dazzling bright smile, and a snow-white canine prancing at her side.

Perhaps it is no coincidence this global war and three-time cancer survivor made her home in Phoenix, Arizona—as she, herself, embodied a desert bird rising from the ashes. In truth, Sylvia’s tenacity was second to none. However, even the greatest warriors grow weary. And, in the company of loving family, this warrior breathed her last—and no doubt, touched the face of God.1

Mrs. McQueen was preceded in death by her husband, United States Air Force Colonel (Retired) John Roy McQueen; her daughter, Mrs. Norma Jaye Manker Gunderson; her granddaughter, Miss Melissa Gunderson; and her son, Mr. Martin Dwayne Manker. Sylvia is survived in death by three children, and their spouses: Mrs. Ann Marie Manker Wriston and her husband, Mr. Wayne Wriston; United States Air Force Colonel (Retired) James Edward Manker, Jr., and his wife, United States Air Force Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Michelle Marie Libbey Manker; and Mrs. Lora Lee Manker Kuemper, and her husband, Gerald Kuemper. They—together with Sylvia’s eleven grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren—mourn their matriarch’s passing, and prayerfully honor her extraordinary life.

Sylvia’s ashes will be laid to rest beside her adoring husband, John, on February 10, 2023—at Phoenix Memorial Park.

For those who wish to celebrate Sylvia’s legacy, the family respectfully requests donations to the American Cancer Society in lieu of flowers.

1High Flight (John Gillespie Magee, 1941)