Sylvia Jean Gutierrez

After a thirteen year battle with Alzheimer's disease, Sylvia Jean Gutierrez left us to be with the love of her life and husband, George E. Gutierrez on November 15, 2018.  She was eighty years old.

She will join her parents Raymond & Alice Thienpont; her sister Leona Riddle; her parents-in-law George A. & Doney Gutierrez along with many more relatives and  friends that have passed over the years.

Sylvia is survived by her son Vincent Lee Gutierrez & Wife Judy; her son Curtis Allen Gutierrez & Wife Christina; her granddaughter Heather Michelle Ehlinger & husband Robert; her granddaughter Amy Elizabeth Gutierrez; her beautiful great-grandson Maxwell Lee Ehlinger; her brother Roy Thienpont; her sister Ellen Fisher; her brothers-in-law Phil Riddle; Bob Gutierrez; David Gutierrez and her nieces & nephews.

Sylvia was born in Terra Haute, Indiana but was raised in the coal mining towns of Reliance and Rock Springs, Wyoming.  She grew up enduring hardships and obstacles that life threw at her family during her time there and she overcame all of them.  She was the first born of Raymond and Alice and the first of many children born to the Thienpont clan of seven siblings.  Because of this, she was the official baby sitter for many of her younger cousins.  This helped form her into the kind, loving, protective and caring person she became.  She was a top student and was the valedictorian of her high school graduating class.  She was musically inclined and played the trombone as part of the school marching band, earning a letter.  She also played the piano.  As the team leader of her competitive first-aid team sponsored by the American Red Cross, she made it to the state championships.  Later in life she would go on to take college classes in algebra and chemistry.  Her dog Boy who was her special companion during her school years was in a lot of ways like Sylvia.  Fierce when angered unwaveringly loyal and extremely protective of her.  The coal mining community was sometimes a tough neighborhood with its share of bullies and Boy was always there to walk her to and from school and act as her protector.  She met her husband George in high school and they remained sweethearts until the day he passed away in 1994.

Sylvia was mainly a homemaker but she worked in several positions during her life in between taking care of her husband and two sons.  Right after high school she worked at Little America Hotels in Wyoming. Her favorite job was In Phoenix during the 1960's when she was an assembly line supervisor at a Motorola.  She also worked as a florist for Joan West Flowers in Houston and in a beautiful greenhouse during the two years she lived in North Olmsted, Ohio.

Sylvia had many interests, a keen intelligence and an almost photographic memory.  She had an encyclopedic knowledge of garden plants in general. She developed this interest in part because her grandfather Roy C. Adams owned and operated a gladiolus farm in Terra Haute and she would help him with it during family vacations.  She loved cooking and coming up with new and different recipes.  She credited her cooking skills from being a part of a French family.  She loved to read and loved stories and articles that inspired her in some way or pushed her to learn more.  Sylvia was also an interesting and prolific conversationalist.  She could keep any conversation going and could always break the silence no matter how stressful the topic.  Because she understood topics she discussed deeply and had a long memory, she always made a conversation informative and interesting.  She was a lifelong learner and would thoroughly explore any topics that interested her.

Sylvia was someone that would do anything she could to help out her family or a friend.  She was a volunteer for meals on wheels and she would also donate a Thanksgiving dinner to someone who otherwise could not afford one.  For years she participated in a charity where she sponsored children in third world countries.  She was always there for anyone who needed advice and was willing to talk through any problem.

She loved her pets which included her dogs, cats and other animals that lived around her home.  She was an avid animal rights supporter and saved many strays and feral cats.  She once stopped on a busy five lane road to rescue a snapping turtle who was slowly trying to cross.

She cared for her mother Alice for eighteen years, bringing her home to live with her in Houston and she cared for her husband George for five years when he was diagnosed with cancer.  Sadly a few years after George and Alice had passed, Sylvia started her long fight with Alzheimer's.  She was never one to give up and fought hard to keep who she was as close to the surface as possible, but this disease is relentless and eventually robbed her of everything.  However she was still true to her spirit even at the end.

Sylvia loved her family more than words can ever express.  You could always count on her to love you, support you in both good and bad times.  She would always be there for you when you needed her.  She was protective of her loved ones and would be the first to defend you.  She would lecture you when you were wrong but would forgive easily and she would happily sing your praises.  Her family was her world.

Our family wants to thank everyone who helped Sylvia Jean through these difficult times.  She had wonderful caregivers who became friends and family.  They truly made a difference in her life and ours.  We will always be grateful to them for that.