Obituary of Sylvia DEWIEL

Born on Halloween in 1957, Sylvia was the youngest of the four children of Gertrud and Fredrick DeWiel. She went to school in Bearspaw and Cochrane and later graduated from SAIT with a diploma in Business Administration. Diagnosed with epilepsy at an early age, Sylvia’s professional career was short, but she faced her handicap with admirable courage. Rather than feeling sorry for herself, she made every effort to let her pleasant, outgoing nature shine especially on those whose fate was more difficult to bear than her own. She loved her daily visits to the Mayfair Care Centre, not only to be with her Mom, but also to lift the spirit of patients and staff alike with her sense of humour and her infectious smile. Her last six month were perhaps the happiest of her adult life. Sylvia died in her sleep in the early morning hours, shortly after sustaining injuries in an accidental fall on black ice. She is deeply mourned by her parents; by her half-sister Alexa and partner Kathy Vance; by her sister Andrea and brother-in-law Michael Havinga; by brother Erik and sister-in-law Christina Seger; by brother Boris; by niece Brynne Havinga; and nephews Nicholas Havinga, Sean DeWiel and Joel DeWiel. A Celebration of Sylvia’s Life will be held in a private family ceremony. Please forward condolences through www.hffs.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to Epilepsy Canada, 10 Milner Business Ct., 3rd Floor, Scarborough, ON M1B 3C6, www.epilepsy.ca.