Obituary of Sylvia Lyon Anderson

Sylvia L. Anderson, 84, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2013 at the home of her daughter in Salinas. She had been in declining health since the death of her husband John A. Anderson, MD in February. The cause of death was chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Sylvia was born in San Francisco, April 14, 1929, the daughter of Marjorie Yard and Donald Hoffman Pinther. She spent her early years in the San Francisco Bay Area with her mother and stepfather, Willis Lyon, and two siblings. She graduated from Sequoia High School and attended San Jose State College. Sylvia moved with her family to Carmel Valley and worked at the Bank of Carmel, before marrying John at Carmel Mission Basilica in June 1953. The couple began their married life in St. Louis, Missouri while John attended medical school. They moved to San Francisco in the mid-fifties for John's medical residency and then returned to the Monterey Peninsula, where John began his medical practice with Waligora Medical Group. Sylvia was an avid bridge player and played often, at Monterey Peninsula Country Club with her mother-in-law Anne G. Anderson, and at her Castro Road home with friends. She loved to swim laps, was a synchronized swimmer in her teens, and later would take the family to Carmel Valley to spend the day swimming and sun tanning. She also loved gardening and had a spectacular garden. She passed her gift to her offspring, even teaching them the plants' scientific names. She also imparted a love of the arts, nightly reading them fairytales, poetry, and a whole spectrum of literature. Sylvia and John became hooked on salmon fishing during the sixties and spent many early mornings on the Monterey Bay fishing with their family and friends. Sylvia consumed so much salmon during those years that she would never order it in a restaurant. She taught cooking in after school classes at Santa Catalina School, delivered Meals on Wheels, and volunteered for the American Cancer Society. She and John were active members of San Carlos Parish. Sylvia bought The Book End on Pearl Street in the late 1970s and began a new chapter of her life. She had the uncanny knack of suggesting the perfect book to her customers. She and John enjoyed book-buying trips all over the US, Canada, and the British Isles. She relished her time spent buying, selling, and talking about books with her customers for almost 30 years. Sylvia developed Multiple Sclerosis in the 1980s, which slowed her down but never dampened her spirit. Sylvia and John, married for 59 years, lived happily at The Park Lane for the last five years of their lives. She is survived by her brother Willis Lyon of Monterey, and her sister, Janice Junkin, of Pacific Grove, and her six children, who have taken up residence far and wide. John, her oldest, lives in Albuquerque, NM; Susan Anderson Colburn, Laguna Beach; Genevieve Bergez, Salinas; Anne McCormack, Annandale, VA; Paul, Boise, ID; and Alice Mienkowski, Toronto, Canada; 19 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren. We will greatly miss her incredible courage, beauty, strength, graciousness, and wit. Memorial mass will be held on Friday, September 27 at 10 am at Blessed Sacrament Chapel of the Carmel Mission Basilica, followed by a reception at Crespi Hall. Donations in her name may be made to the San Carlos Restoration Fund, 500 Church Street, Monterey, CA 93940.