SYLVIA SWOGGER SHELDON's Obituary
On Saturday December 19th, Sylvia Sheldon passed away at her home. She was surrounded by children, grandchildren and extended family. Sylvia was born on Nov. 7, 1940, in Topeka, Kansas. Daughter of Glenn Swogger, Sr. and Isabel Sutherin Swogger. She graduated from Topeka High School in 1958 and, in 1960, received an A.A. in from Cottey College in Nevada, Missouri. She continued her education at the University of Kansas, where she joined Alpha Phi sorority and graduated with a B.A. in French. In 1962, she travelled to France and studied at Reid Hall at the Sorbonne. Sylvia received a master’s degree in French from the University of Virginia and completed her course work for a Ph.D. At the University of Virginia, she met her husband, William Wadsworth Sheldon. She taught at James Madison University until moving with their daughter, Jennifer, to Miami, Florida in 1967. Bill worked at the Miami Herald while Sylvia dedicated herself to raising Jennifer and her sons Glenn and Benjamin. Music was the great passion of her life. She was an accomplished pianist and singer. She shared her love of music with her children and later as a pre-school music teacher. She taught at the Coral Gables Congregational Early Childhood Center for 14 years and later at The Giving Place at the First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables. Along with Bill and Benjamin, she sang in the Miami Civic Chorale and the FUMC choir. She was a driving force in the Coral Gables Music Club, serving as president and scholarship chair, as well as coordinating auditions of potential students for many years. She also chaired the "Play and Listen" group within the music club, organizing performances for club members and the community in venues such as the Steinway Gallery in Coral Gables, Historic Cocoplum, Coral Gables Congregational Church and Coral Gables Methodist Church. Her family foundation, The Swogger Foundation, supported the CGMC Scholarship Fund, enabling young musicians develop their talent. Sylvia also trained and directed the Handbell Choir at the Coral Gables First United Methodist Church, and rang tower bells at Trinity Cathedral for over a decade. Sylvia served on The Dranoff Two Piano International Competition Board for nearly twenty years. Pianists loved to stay in her home and practice on her two grand pianos. She was also a supporter of the Greater Miami Opera and the Florida Grand Opera. Like her mother, she was a member of Chapter A.O. of P.E.O. International, a philanthropic organization dedicated to creating educational opportunities for women, serving in many leadership positions at the chapter and state level. Sylvia was also a member of The Villagers and enjoyed being asked to play piano during garden and house tours.
Though known only to her closest friends, Sylvia was a licensed financial planner, and president of Kaw Valley Bancorp for more than three decades. Two years after losing Bill to cancer, Sylvia met her second life partner, James Russell, former business editor for the Miami Herald. She is survived by her daughter, Jennifer, her sons Glenn and Benjamin, her brother Glenn Swogger, Jr., her grandchildren Ian, Gavin, Anne-Sophie, and Remy and her foster daughters, Beatriz and Claudia. A visitation will be held at Van Orsdel Funeral Chapel in Coral Gables. A Memorial Service will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Coral Gables on Tuesday December 29th at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alzheimers.org
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