Sylvia Gilkey

Sylvia Gilkey (77) passed away peacefully on January 02, 2024, with her family by her side. No longer having Alzheimer's, she has passed into the arms of our Lord. Her physical life on earth is over, but it is the beginning of an eternal and beautiful journey for her. 

Born September 16, 1946, to Jesse and Marie Brown, she grew up an only child in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. She enjoyed her childhood, riding bikes with the neighborhood kids, going to the 25-cent movie theater, and enjoying ice cream cones on hot summer days. In elementary school, she and a team of classmates won a talent spot on National TV tap dancing. 

She spent countless hours with her grandparents, Granpoon and Daddy Sweet, with whom she had a special closeness. She once said Daddy Sweet had this peach juice that he kept in an outside refrigerator. One day, she decided to drink some, and it was so good that she kept drinking it until it was all gone. It wasn't until he fussed so that he almost raised the roof about it being gone that she found out it was Moon Shine. 

Growing up in the same town, Harry and Sylvia were no strangers to each other. But according to Harry, it was when she walked by him in those white jeans that she caught his eye. They have been together ever since, sharing their love for 58 years. They married in 1969 and stayed in Pawhuska for a while before moving to Arvin, CA, for a better life in 1971. They lived in Arvin for 39 years, raised two children, Marcus and Hope, and then moved to Bakersfield, California, in 2009. 

Sylvia worked as a bookkeeper for over 20 years for Tony Guerrero, a farm labor contractor. Before that, she was employed with 7-Eleven as a clerk and Jiffy Food Stores as an area manager, overseeing store operations in Arvin, Bakersfield, Tulare, Visalia, Exeter, and Hanford. Sylvia was excellent with numbers. 

Sylvia was a member of Calvary Church of God in Christ in Arvin, CA, for 20-plus years before joining the St. John Missionary Baptist Church family. She loved the Lord and didn't mind praying for those in need. Sylvia was a doer, often helping organize the women's programs, bake sales, and even a circus fundraising event at Calvary. Everyone knew she would help take care of it if you wanted something done! 

Sylvia was a loving wife, a dedicated mother, and a cherished grandmother. She was everyone's biggest cheerleader. She volunteered at Marc and Hope's school and was the Basketball Grandmother at her grandson Daniel's High School. Before every home game, Sylvia provided the varsity basketball team with a hot meal. She liked plants and had a green thumb; she was a crossword puzzle wiz and could solve any puzzle thrown her way. Sylvia was an avid shopper; there wasn't a deal that could get past her, and when Harry went shopping with her, he knew the drill: find a chair and wait for her to finish. She kept her beautician and manicurist in business, always being well put together, and she used to say a woman shouldn't smell like anything, so as you can imagine, she always wore perfume. Sylvia was witty and funny! And incredibly compassionate. She was strong-willed and could be stubborn, but only because she wanted things to be correct. 

Sylvia is survived by her husband, Harry Gilkey; son, Marcus Gilkey, and daughter, Hope Gilkey; grandson, Daniel Womack (Alexandra); great-granddaughters, Adalynn Jeanette Womack and Kiara Womack and great-grandson, Wesley Alexander Womack all of Phoenix AZ, as well as beloved cousins, and other assorted family and many caring friends. She is preceded in death by her father, Jesse Brown, and mother, Marie Reed, who died on August 4, 2009.