Sylvia Mc Dow

Sylvia Mc Dow - Sylvia McDow, long-time resident of Petaluma, passed away peacefully at the age of 94 on Wednesday, September 17, 2008. Sylvia was born on July8, 1914 in Cape Town, South Africa. Her parents moved their two daughters, Sylvia and Bertha, to Australia for seven years before relocating to the U.S. Sylvia's twin brothers, Phineas and Henry, were born in San Francisco. The family settled in Los Angeles, where Muriel, the youngest sister, was born. Sylvia was a generous and charitable woman who volunteered her time helping out at local museums and at Sack's Hospice thrift store in Petaluma. She was a member of the First Church of Christ Scientist. She maintained her house and garden and little studio at the home she and Gordon made for themselves on Seventh Street long after her husband passed away in 1973. She was a bright, lively and independent woman all her life. Her family and friends used to kid her about being a "fitness nut""", extolling the virtues of fresh yogurt and maintaining one's physical health through the practice of yoga long before such things became the current standards for an increasingly health-aware society. "" Sylvia's positive outlook on life, never-ending curiosity, thoughtful intelligence and creative inspiration touched all who knew her. Her unique presence will be greatly missed by her family and friends. She is survived by her youngest sibling, Muriel, and lovingly remembered by in-laws, nephews, nieces and a grand niece, her dear friend Rose Hamilton, and a wealth of friends in Petaluma and the Bay Area. With typical kindness, Sylvia left a post-mortem note that said, "Thank you to my family and friends for their loving care and thoughts. Lots of love, Sylvia.""" Memorial services for Sylvia McDow are scheduled Saturday, September 27, 3:00 PM at Parent-Sorensen Mortuary. "" Sylvia's creative aspirations blossomed early in life; she was an avid fan of the theater and opera, and pursued a professional career in dance, particularly ballet. Her dancing ambitions were set aside when she met and married her husband, Gordon, whose military career took them traveling around the globe. They lived in a variety of international locations including Germany, England and Ethiopia. During these travels, Sylvia began her lifelong love of painting. She leaves a prodigious and impressive body of artwork behind, including older sketches and paintings of the cities and villages from the countries she visited and lived in, portraits of her family and friends, and still life renditions of the flowers from her garden.