Sylvia Porter
Alton | Save
Sylvia N. Porter, 73, went to be with the LORD at 1:45am on Saturday, February 18, 2023. She was born on April 5, 1949 in Flint, MI. She is the daughter of the late Maurice and Francis (Bramhall) May. Her calling in life was to be a nurse and she worked for 45 years at Alton Memorial Hospital before retiring on May 20, 2014.
Her love of caring for others earned her the nicknames Saint Sylvia and The Neighborhood Nurse. She attended The Bridge Church in Alton.
Family meant everything to Sylvia. On July 1, 1975 she married James L. Porter and he preceded her in death on August 17, 2017. They spent 42 years together loving their family. Surviving are two daughters, Andrea Porter of Alton and Shawna Phelps (Matt) of Dorsey, one son, William Hassmann of Glendale, AZ, five grandchildren, Caleb and Morgan Ruden, Jake and Brooke Hassmann and Grace Phelps and two brothers, Robert Beardsley (Sonja) of Green Valley, AZ and Maurice May II (Nancy) of Virginia Beach, VA and many special cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. In addition to spending time with her family and friends, her other passions included taking road trips, shopping, listening and dancing to music, watching hummingbirds while sitting on her back porch swing, game nights, her Wednesday night tv shows, playing Bingo, attending the Alton parades and any Brown Street Bunch get together.
She was the biggest cheerleader for those she loved. No matter what you were doing, she was there to support and encourage you. She took great joy in being called Honey, Mom, Sis, Grandma, YaYa, Aunt Sylv or Aunt Sliv, Olaf, Saint Sylvia, Keanu, the Energizer Bunny or any other special name she was called because she could feel the love behind the names. Even with all of her own health challenges, her strong faith and fighting spirit carried her through and she always seemed to find the joy in life.
Visitation will be from 4 -7pm at Gent Funeral Home on Friday, February 24, 2023.
Celebration of life services will be at 10:00am at The Bridge Church in Alton on Saturday, February 25, 2023. Burial will be at Upper Alton Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital or to the Nurse Honor Guard STL. Additional information and online guest book may be found at www.gentfuneralhome.com.
Gent Funeral Home
