Nancy Ellen Sylbert

May 23, 1956 - Jul. 15, 2017

Nancy Sylbert – New York City, New York, Nancy passed away on July 15, 2017.  After high school Nancy attended Oberlin College where she majored in Art History and Religion, graduating Phi Beta Kappa.  After college, Nancy went onto become a talented graphic designer.  Nancy’s many interests included opera, theatre, photography, competitive swing dancing and an irrational devotion to her cats.  In the 90s, Nancy worked for the AIDS Foundation of San Diego, educating people on how to stop the spread of the disease.  She also fought tirelessly for child abuse prevention and the homeless.  Nancy will be remembered for the dark and cynical sense of humor of a true New Yorker but most importantly, the way she cared deeply for all her friends and the people she met from all walks of life.  Nancy’s legacy will be to move forward the way that she did: connecting, caring and taking swift and effective actions to change the world.  

Nancy Ellen Sylbert

Nancy Sylbert was born in Great Neck, NY, the only daughter of Dr. Philip and Dorothy Sylbert. As a young child, her family moved to Tuxedo Park – an area she described as “the WASP-iest of places, but a great place to grow up.” Little Nancy had fun being the only kid around the house and blossomed as a bright student – she was the winner of the Spelling Bee 3 years in a row.

By her high years, the family had moved once more to South Bend, IN, where she attended John Adams High, graduating as a National Merit Semifinalist, which earned her a spot in the local newspaper.

Nancy proceded to attend Oberlin College, where she wanted to study Baroque Recorder, but some change in the department resulted in her chosen major no longer being available, so she got her degree in Art History and Religion, Phi Beta Kappa, instead.

Many of us knew Nancy as the excellent graphic designer she was, a great administrator of all things office and all things that need organizing, a lover of opera (with an encyclopedic knowledge on the matter), a photography connoisseur, and a guardian of proper writing, in addition to being a competitive-level swing dancer. She had a filthy mouth, an irrational devotion to her cats, and the dark and cynical sense of humor of a true New Yorker.

But Nancy was much more than her tough, get-things-done, no-nonsense façade. Nancy cared. She cared deeply. She cared deeply about those around her and the people she met through her very diverse and somewhat incongruent walks of life. And when she cared this deeply, she put that highly educated and anally-inclined brain of hers and her many talents to good use, getting stuff done where it really mattered.

07/25/2024 DEC

Nancy Ellen Sylbert

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/181746342/nancy-ellen-sylbert