Sylvia Johnson (10 Mar 1929 - 3 Jul 2024)

In loving memory of Sylvia Johnson who sadly passed away on 3rd July 2024, aged 95 years.

Sylvia Thirwall who later became Sylvia Johnson after her marriage, was born on the 10th of March 1929 in South Shields, on the Northumbrian coast. She was the youngest of ten children. In 1936, her family moved to Whitley Bay, a seaside town in Tyne and Wear, where she helped her mother who ran a large and busy boarding house. At the age of 10, Sylvia left school and became a full-time helper at the boarding house.
Her two elder sisters were on the stage, one of whom was a Tiller girl and occasionally Sylvia helped with the ‘tap and kick’ dancing when needed. Her other sister Dot was a singer/dancer and worked with Harry Secombe, Sam Costa and Striker Murdoch. Sadly, she lost many of her brothers during the war.
Her first love interest was when she was 17, with a Prince from India who was staying at the boarding house but her mother (a rather severe woman) soon put a stop to that and refused to let her go to live in India.
Sylvia was always quite reserved but with a cheerful disposition which helped her settle in quickly to different professions and locations over the coming years.

Her first job was at Hedley Youngs, once the grandest and largest store in Blythe, where she worked in the hat dept. She then joined the wrens (Women’s Royal Naval Service) and thoroughly enjoyed the experience. After the war in 1953 she married, and her husband worked on the railways. Her 2 children, Russell and Wendy, were born shortly afterwards. In 1963, her husband changed job to work at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and hence the family relocated to France. She spent 4 years there and this left a long-lasting legacy on her children who became bilingual.
In 1967 the family moved back to England and spent several years in Enfield, London before moving down to Kent where she spent 30 years working for Chatham Reliance Building Society (now Kent Reliance) and became the ‘manageress’ in Gillingham. She was very at ease dealing with people and had a natural warmth with her customers. She divorced in 1972 and that took its toll on her.

After retiring (!) she started working in show houses in the new estates that were rapidly being built in the area. Her empathy and charm meant that she remained in contact with many of her clients even attending some of their weddings.
Sylvia lost her daughter (Wendy) in 2015 which greatly affected her as you can imagine. She was very proud of her children and always there for them – and they very much appreciated her love for them. She had a series of dogs, most recently Frankie which gave her much comfort. Her later years were spent gardening and even at the grand age of 95 she was still spending her time tending her beautiful garden.
She was blessed to have such good neighbours who ran errands for her towards the end of her life. She didn’t appreciate that people liked her warmth and wry sense of humour and were helping her because they wanted to and not out of a sense of duty. She was very fortunate to spend her days in her immaculately kept house, living independently, supported by a network of friends and family, before passing away peacefully on 3 July 2024.

As we conclude this tribute to Sylvia, let us take a moment to reflect on the unique qualities that made her such a special person in each of our lives. Sylvia’s kindness, humour, selflessness and strength over adversity, were just a few of the many attributes that endeared her to us. As we remember Sylvia, let us cherish these qualities and be inspired to embody them in our own lives, ensuring the lessons she taught us will remain in our hearts for a lifetime.

She will be sadly missed.

Immediate family flowers only please.

Donations in Sylvia's memory for 'The Friend's of the Wisdom Hospice', who lovingly took care of her daughter Wendy in her final days, would be gratefully received and should be made directly to the charity. Thank You.