Sylvia Cromer Lersch passed away peacefully May 7, 2024 in Mashpee, MA. She was 82. Sylvia was born October 17, 1941 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to Rubye (LaFevers) and Sylvan Cromer. She is predeceased by her parents, her husband William (Bill) Lersch and her brother William (Bill) Cromer.
Sylvia is survived by her children, Gwyn (Marden) Brittigan and husband Eric of Annapolis, MD; Craig Marden and wife Sandy Kelly of Chatham, MA.; and Carey (Marden) Shaulus and husband Thom of North Berwick, ME. Sylvia also leaves her sisters Jean (Jimmy) Peters of Brentwood TN, Lynn (Doug) Brown of Punta Gorda, FL and six granddaughters: Anna, Brittney, Samantha, Caitlyn, Meaghan and Elsa, as well as many nieces, nephews and longtime friends.
Sylvia moved around with her family as a child due to her father’s involvement in the top-secret Manhattan Project during World War II. They lived in Los Alamos, NM, Oak Ridge, TN, among other places. Sylvia graduated from Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, NY, in 1959. She got her bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire in 1963 and later earned Master’s Degree in Social Work from Boston University in 1977. She had a long career as a psychotherapist in Massachusetts and Florida. She also worked for many years at Boston College, as a graduate student advisor.
Sylvia raised her children in Hingham, MA where she met her beloved husband Bill, school teacher and Marine, whom she married in 1977. The couple moved to Punta Gorda, FL after Bill’s retirement in 1995. They summered in Bridgeton, ME from 2015-2019. Sylvia and Bill enjoyed sailing and traveling the world together. They were members of Mariners of the PGI in Punta Gorda. Sylvia was a passionate gardener, knitter, seamstress, and quilter, who won several awards for her quilts and quilted jackets. She was a longtime member of the Peace River Quilters' Guild in Punta Gorda and later joined the Chickadee Quilters of Bridgeton. Sylvia was a cat-lover who enjoyed cooking, shopping, listening to classical music, and spending quality time with her family and friends.
A Celebration of Sylvia’s life will be held at the First Congregational Church of Chatham, 650 Main St., Chatham, MA on Friday, June 7, 2024 at 11:00 AM.
In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy may be made in Sylvia's memory to Alzheimer's Family Support Center https://www.alzfamilysupport.org/ or Harvest Hills Animal Shelter https://harvesthills.org/.
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