Obituary of Sylvia Lavinia Wentzell Thistle

Sylvia Lavinia Wentzell was born on Easter Sunday, April 20,1930 in Parsons Pond, NL where her parents, Angus and Selina Wentzell, owned a general store and farm.  She loved the farm; the stories she always told revolved around working with her father on the farm or, in the store.

Sometime in the 1940’s The Wentzells opened a general store in Corner Brook and at age 16, Sylvia came to Corner Brook to work in the family business, grocery delivery was one of the services they offered; unbeknownst to her parents, she cajoled the delivery driver into letting her learn to drive in the company pick up truck. She told her father AFTER she got her licence – she was a spirited woman from beginning to end.

She met Blackie at a White House dance in 1950. The danced beautifully together from that day forward.  Most likely at Sylvia’s instance, they participated in a local Scottish dancing group for many years. If there was music and a dance floor, they were on it. She loved to dance!

They married in 1951, built a house in Steady Brook where they lived their lives, raised their family and started their own business – Thistledown Florist and Nursery.  The garden center eventually led to a flower shop on West Street and later, in the Millbrook Mall. Sylvia spent her career managing the business and her family. But, her favourite place to be was in her garden.

Over her long life Sylvia raised three daughters, Christine Thistle – English (Derm), Donna Thistle, Kim Thistle (Sean Dolter), participated in the lives of her grandchildren Angus McAlpine, Duncan, Davis, Amy and Heather English, Jesse and Zack Robson. She was great grandmother to Melodie, Molly and Sophia, Remi, Bosco and Lilou, Leo and Marco, Leif and Lennox. Sylvia also played a significant roll in the life of Matilda (Mickey) Payne. “Till” became part older sister to the three girls and part younger sister to Sylvia. She lived with and was a significant part of our family for many years. 

In the 1950’s Steady Brook was a complete little community with its own school, post office and shops. Sylvia was an active volunteer with the school where she taught Sunday School and helped with a well baby clinic.  As Steady Brook became more of a bedroom community to Corner Brook, she volunteered at The Wonderland School in Corner Brook (then a school for children with developmental challenges). She was a member of the Kinette Club of Corner Brook and made sure her daughters were involved in Brownies, Guides, figure skating, swimming, skiing and music lessons, she provided support to those groups.    Flowers Canada played a significant roll in Sylvia’s social life. She never missed a convention.  Thru that organization Sylvia visited every province in Canada. Even after they sold the floral business to their daughter, she loved to tag along. 

Our mother always swore she hated to cook but she never made a bad meal and for many, many years she was the go to lemon-filling-maker to go with the angel food cake for the St John The Evangelist ACWA annual tea and sale, another of the organizations she supported.

Her favourite retirement project was acting as a judge for Tidy Towns. She and Blackie did this for many years and in this capacity, they were able to visit many small communities of NL. The discovery of these hidden gems absolutely delighted her.  

 More than anything else, she loved her garden, the great outdoors and a hand a of bridge. She would drop any household responsibility to pull a weed, listen to a bird, talk to a worm or walk on a beach. She was an environmentalist before the word was a thing. “Cleaning up the earth” was a signature thing for her before it was ever main stream. So much so that her families nick name for her was “the bag lady”. She had an eye for “good junk” and had the biggest tickle trunk in the world…her entire basement. If anybody every need some bizarre thing for a costume or a prop or an unusual piece of old furniture Sylvia probably had it, from things she rescued from the side of the road. Sylvia lived the saying Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Sometimes to the chagrin of her family but she never wavered from the importance of that belief.

Even after dementia started to unravel the force she was, she never lost a contract if she was playing bridge… perhaps the only indoor activity she actually loved.   

Her long decline into the nether world of dementia was perhaps the cruelest end for someone so full of life.  

She was predeceased by husband of 72 years, Donald “Blackie” Thistle, her parents, Angus and Selina, her sisters Ula Byrne, Mona Hollands and Linda Martin.  She is survived by her sister Hughena Luther, her brothers in law Jack Hollands and Willis Martin, her children, grand children and great grand children as well as many nieces and nephews.

Cremation has taken place.  Visitation will be held on Tuesday, August 27 from the hours of 7-9 p.m. at Fillatre’s Funeral Home, 4 St. Mark’s Avenue. The funeral service will be held on Wednesday, August 28 at 2:00 p.m. from The Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist, Main Street.

To honour her memory the family asks - the next time you go for walk, put a repurposed bag (definitely not a new one!) in your pocket and pick up the garbage along the way and, if you find an old beverage container, recycle it. Live the “waste not want not” parable and you will always have a guardian angel.