Sylvia Hyde died Tuesday, Feb. 20. She was 89.

During her decline she expressed great joy at the life she had had and offered encouragement, hope and spiritual comfort to family and friends.

Sylvia Evangeline Jacobsen was born in Seattle on March 24, 1917. She attended Franklin High School and the University of Washington and studied nursing at Swedish Hospital. Upon graduating, she moved to Honolulu, Hawaii to work at the Shriner’s Hospital. In 1941 she met and married her lifetime companion, Art Hyde.

They raised two sons, Dave and Jim, in the San Francisco Bay area in California. In 1978 they retired to Whidbey Island.

They found their spiritual home at Saint Augustine’s in the Woods Episcopal Church.

She joined the Daughters of Norway, delivered food for Meals on Wheels, and was an active member of PEO for 49 years.

She was an accomplished bridge player and an enthusiastic golfer. In a contest to name a new golf course, she coined the winning name, “Whidbey Greens.”

She loved gardening and grew beautiful flowers and shrubs, along with fruits, berries and a vegetable garden from which she prepared delicious meals and put up jams and jellies.

Following Art’s passing, her sons and daughter-in-law, Jane, moved to Whidbey Island to provide help and enjoy her company. Weekly family dinners always concluded with spirited board games which she frequently won.

Sylvia is survived by her two sons, her brother, Jim Jacobsen; two granddaughters, Lora in Guadalajara, Mexico and Amy in New York, N.Y.; and great-grandchildren Ximena and Karim.

A public service will be held at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 6 at St. Augustine’s in the Woods Episcopal Church, with a reception to follow. Contributions can be made to St. Augustine’s or Helping Hand.