SYLVIA STERINPEABODY, Mass./ ST. ALBANS - Sylvia Sterin died peacefully on Sunday, Jan. 9, 2011 of Alzheimer's disease in Redstone Villa in St. Albans. She was born in Montreal on Aug. 22, 1919 to Abraham and Sarah (Garmaise) Schwartzman. She immigrated to Massachusetts upon her marriage in 1948. After raising her children, she returned to work. First in sales, and then as a data entry clerk for a furniture company that later became Levitz. While there, she received several employee awards and was gifted with a bouquet of flowers for being at work on her 70th birthday. Upon retirement, she enjoyed playing mah jongg, knitting, gardening and talking to her wide circle of friends. After her husband died, she moved to Fairfax to share the home of her daughter, Marti and her family, Robert Zelley, and their children, Samuel and Sarah Zelley. As the disease took hold, she spent her days at Care Partners until she moved into Our Lady of the Meadows in Sheldon. She spent her final months at a Redstone Villa. She will be missed by her daughter, Marti Sterin and her husband, Robert Zelley; grandchildren, Samuel and Sarah Zelley; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. Funeral services will be held on Friday, Jan. 14, 2011 at 10 a.m in StanetskyHymanson Memorial Chapel, 10 Vinnin Street, Salem, MA, with burial following at Maple Hill Cemetery in Peabody. There will be a reception at the home of Marti Sterin on Sunday, Jan. 15, 2011 from 12 to 4 p.m. The family would like to extend its gratitude to the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging for its invaluable assistance during the 10 years that Sylvia lived in Vermont. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the Champlain Valley Agency on Aging, P.O. Box 158, Winooski, VT 05404-0158.
