Sylvia A. Pearson

Sylvia A. (Christiansen) Pearson was born April 7, 1925, on a farm near Vail, the daughter of Agnes and Louis H. Christiansen. She passed away June 23, 2015, at the Eventide Lutheran Home.
Sylvia was baptized and received her first Holy Communion, and confirmed in the Catholic Religion at St. Ann’s Catholic Church in Vail, Iowa. She grew up on a farm near Deloit, Iowa and received her formal education in the rural schools in Milford Township and upon entering high school, she graduated from the Deloit High School, class of 1941. After graduation, she attended Normal School in Denison and received her teaching degree. She taught in the rural schools until her marriage to Robert P. Pearson on June 19, 1946 at the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Denison. The couple moved to Burbank, California where Robert was employed as a machinist with the Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and Sylvia taught school in the lower grades in California. In 1947, the couple returned to Iowa where Robert was employed by the International Harvester Corporation. During the time Robert worked for International Harvester, they moved several times, living in Council Bluffs, Des Moines and Louisville, Kentucky before returning to Denison to own and operate the International Motor Truck Dealership, where Sylvia was the partner and bookkeeper of their business. In 1966, they sold the business and the couple moved to Des Moines, Iowa where Robert was employed by the Iowa Department of Transportation and Sylvia was employed with the Commission for the Blind for 22 years. Sylvia and Bob would make frequent visits to Denison and especially loved to stop and stay at the home of her younger sister Bonnie and her husband Wes Stoelk. After the untimely death of Bonnie, Wes and his family has remained a very important part of Sylvia’s life, visiting her and showering her with their love. Her husband, Robert passed away October 1, 1991, in Des Moines after complications of dialysis. Sylvia moved back to Denison to be near her family. Due to her failing health, Sylvia entered the Reed House and eventually Eventide, where she lived at the time of her passing.
Sylvia was a caring and loving wife and loved to be around people, having been in the teaching and clerical field for many years. As Bob’s health failed, Sylvia quit her job to care for her husband, both at home and taking him to dialysis three times a week at the Des Moines Hospital for nearly 20 years. She had very little time for hobbies, but when time allowed, she loved to dance and was a faithful listener of the Lawrence Welk Show and especially loved polka music. She and Robert had no children of their own, but they spoiled all their nieces and nephews whom they dearly loved and whom remain to cherish her friendship and courage. Sylvia was a member of the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church, the church Guild, the Legion of Mary and was an Auxiliary member of the Alfred Rossman Post 196 of the American Legion in Westside, Iowa.
She was preceded in death by her husband Robert; her parents; in-laws,Leslie and Vivian; brothers: Tom; LaVern and his wife, Marion; Orville and his wife, Madonna; sisters: Rita and her husband Andy; Mary Joyce and LaVonne ;brother and sister-in-laws; Eldon and his wife, Fern; Carroll and his wife, Mary; Lloyd. Left to cherish her memory are: sister Betty and husband, Donald; sister-in-law Ann; Alice; Marie; brother-in-law Wesley; many nieces and nephews.