Sylvan Wilson Strickland

He is survived by his wife, Cheryl Cochran Strickland; children, Jill Strickland Thompson (David) and Tim Miller Strickland (Pam); grandchildren, Allison Gilliard, Cody Gilliard, Anna Brito (Camilla), Donovan Thompson (Bailey), Zac Strickland (Kirsta), Cati Strickland, Megan Strickland, Tabby Strickland, and Nathan Strickland (AJ); great-grandchildren Carter, Myles, and Avery Thompson, Levi Montford, Henry Brito, and Benjamin Strickland; nephews Jerry Strickland (Sandra), Bob Braddy (Julia), and Bart Walker (Suzanne); nieces Jenny Saylor (Ed), Lindsay Reilly (Brad), Laina Buser (Matt); great nephews Robert Braddy, Chuck Frost, Adam Frost, and Wynn Walker; great nieces, Cayleigh Reilly, Brenna Reilly, and Kaia Buser; and sisters-in-law Marsha Walker (Lee), and Denise Caltagirone (Jim). He is also survived by many loving cousins, friends, and former co-workers.

He was predeceased by his parents; stepmother, Edna Tyus Strickland; first wife, Viola Jewell “Judy” Miller Strickland; and brothers, Jerry Strickland and Andy Archie.

Sylvan moved to Tallahassee at age 13, and later graduated from Leon High School. During his preteen and teen years, he delivered newspapers and was an usher at the Florida Theatre. After graduating from Leon High, he joined the U.S. Army Air Corps, studied at Clemson University and the University of Florida, and graduated from the UF College of Law in 1949. He worked a total of 54 years in law, 17 of which were in private practice, and served six years as Leon County Prosecuting Attorney. He later served as the Director of Continuing Legal Education for the Florida Bar and spent the last 25 years of his legal career with the State of Florida Departments of Management Services and Revenue. He was a member of the Florida Bar, the American Bar Association, the Elks Club, and Faith Presbyterian Church.

Sylvan was an avid sports fan, especially for Florida Gators and Clemson Tigers teams, and was a UF football season-ticket holder for 73 years. He and Cheryl loved to travel, and their favorite trips included visits to Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and Callaway Gardens. Cheryl says Sylvan was a sweet, loving, generous, and supportive husband, and she called him “Boo” because he was born on Halloween. When she went through her own life-and-death situation in 2005-2006, he was there every day at Shands in Gainesville, and lived in a hotel near Shands for months. He loved his family and was so proud of his children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews. Sylvan had many friends, including his lunch groups from Leon High School, DMS and DOR. He and his first cousin, Roy, had a close brotherly relationship and enjoyed working on family history. Sylvan put together a notebook of family history and distributed copies to family members.

Some of his favorite things about life were puns, jokes, and telling stories (his way). He had a great memory and could remember words to poems, songs, quotes, dates in history, and Gator football facts. An avid reader, he enjoyed nonfiction books, the Southern Star newspaper of Dale County, Alabama, and the Gainesville Sun. He also enjoyed surfing the internet, doing crossword puzzles (in ink), military history, Irish history, watching the History Channel and Gunsmoke, and listening to big band music – especially Glenn Miller, Benny Goodman, and Spike Jones. Sylvan enjoyed taking day trips to St. Marks, Wakulla Springs, and surrounding towns. He liked to eat at Village Inn, Cracker Barrel, Ruby Tuesday, and Coosh’s. He loved chocolate, especially Snickers and Mr. Goodbar, and his favorite drink was root beer.

Some of his favorite sayings were, “Glad you got to see me,” “Wait a darn minute!” and “I’ll tell this my way!” He would tell Cheryl, “You were a young chick when we met,” and “Sorry you’re a sports widow during football season.” He loved reminiscing, particularly when visiting his Alabama birthplace and the University of Florida campus with Tim and/or Jill, and any other family members who would go along for the ride.

One of his favorite stories/memories was when grandson, Cody, was 5 or so, and the family was celebrating Jill’s birthday. Sylvan was telling a story about when he was 16, and Cody said, “Wait, wait, PaPa, you were never 16!” So when Cody turned 16, PaPa had to say to him, “Wait Cody, there’s no way you can be 16!”

Sylvan loved his family more than anything and will always be remembered as a family man, honest, humble, fair, kindhearted, and thoughtful, treating everyone with respect, and treating his family with love.

Visitation will be from 5 to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 23, and the funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 24. Both events will take place at Culley's MeadowWood Funeral Home, 700 Timberlane Road, Tallahassee. For those unable to attend in person, the funeral service will be available for online viewing at https://www.youtube.com/live/m38wCrdkBnw. A private interment ceremony will take place at a later date.

Donations in Sylvan’s honor may be made to a charity of your choice, or:

Elks Childrens’ Charities

c/o Florida Elks Charities, Inc.

PO Box 49

Umatilla FL 32784-0049

Big Bend Hospice

1723 Mahan Center Blvd

Tallahassee FL 32308