Mrs. Sylvia Huffman

FUNERAL SERVICES FOR: MRS. SYLVIA HUFFMAN WILL BE HELD: 11 AM THURSDAY, JUNE 27, 2019 AT: JOHN E. STEPHENS CHAPEL INTERMENT IN: CEDARLAWN CEMETERY VISITATION: 5-8 PM WEDNESDAY, JUNE 26, 2019 AT: JOHN E. STEPHENS CHAPEL FUNERAL SERVICES In the late evening on Monday June 24th Sylvia Ann Huffman slipped the bonds of this world and passed on to be with her Lord. There are many facts about her that I could tell you, many that you’d probably expect to hear in this circumstance. I could tell you that she was 76 years old when she left us. I could tell you that she was born here to Clyde and Eunice Thompson on a hot July morning in 1942. I could tell you where she lived and worked, both here in Philadelphia. But these things would convey very little about the authentic person she truly was. Instead I will tell you about the things that truly defined her; her passions, the things that called to her spirit, the desires that moved her heart and the things that made her happiest. Sylvia’s desire for fidelity and mutual commitment led her to become the faithful wife of 55 years of George Huffman. Her passion for motherhood moved her to adopt two children, Pam and David, before conceiving a son, Adam. From these three joys came an even greater joy in her grandchildren, Richie, Will, Sam, Mackie, Reed, Eloise and Joshua, and great grandchildren, Richie and Fletcher. She was loved by all the children who were blessed by her calming spirit in everyday life, but especially the babies she so loved to care for at her church. Her love of reading prompted her to become a voracious and constant consumer of literature, particularly the works of Charlotte Brontë and Margaret Mitchell and love stories of their ilk. Altruism called her to be generous to those in need, often seeking out those in dire circumstances to provide what she could. But in her later years it was world travel that truly sparked her imagination and stirred her spirit. From the artisanal delights of Paris, France to the verdant mysteries of Thailand in Southeast Asia, to the tropical paradises of Jamaica, Honduras and Grand Cayman in the Western Caribbean, Sylvia showed herself to be a boundless adventurer and a lover of other cultures. It was, however, her travels to Israel that connected to her faith and captivated her the most. It was with a smile on her face and a light in her eyes that she would recount floating in the waters of the Dead Sea and of being baptized in the river Jordan. She made friends of the cave dwellers of the desert wonder of Petra and would return to visit them. Those that knew her, both here and those she met across the globe, know that their world was blessed by her presence and that it is lessened now by her absence. We will miss you, Sylvia. Good travels. Thank you so much to the wonderful staff at Quality Hospice in Philadelphia, MS for your immeasurable support and care. Visitation will be at John E. Stephens Chapel Funeral Home, Philadelphia, MS, Wednesday, June 26 5pm-8pm. Funeral will be at John E. Stephens Chapel Funeral Home Thursday, June 27 11am.

Mrs. Sylvia Huffman

July 6, 1942 - June 24, 2019