The Markow Family Tree

Sylvia A. Sarvas 1915 - 2011 Sylvia Sarvas, 95, passed peacefully under the care of Vista Cove on Sunday, June 5, 2011, the beloved matriarch of our California family and epicenter for all family events. Sylvia was the first and last consultation on all decision issues by the entire extended family. Sylvia was the "glue" that kept the family together. Part of the realization was that family gatherings all were at her home and we loved it there because it felt family and comfortable. The extended families were the Jacobs and the Sarvas. The Jacobs, Sylvia's parents migrated from Russia and settled in Spartanburg, South Carolina a to open a grocery store at the turn of the century. Sylvia's brother Oscar Jacobs; ultimately my father moved to California after Oscar successfully completed dental school program at Georgetown. Sylvia trained as a dental assistant and they worked together for years in San Pedro because the two were so close. It may have been the happiest time of her life, certainly the most referred to, notably because of her adoration of Oscar. Sylvia happily married Henry Sarvas in the early 1930s and developed two daughters, Jan Moss and Sandy Morton, of Indio and Kona. Sylvia and Henry owned three respected furniture stores in Long Beach in the 1950s through 1970s and moved to Rancho Mirage in the early 1970s. Sylvia was a traveler, proud to say that she had been "everywhere more than once." Henry passed away in the early 1980s and Sylvia retained in active participation in Mission Hills Golf and ladies' events and was an active volunteer at the Barbara Sinatra Center and "Shelter from the Storm" for years. Sylvia spent a great deal of her time and energy in caring about and for her daughters and indeed the entire extended family. She was a special lady with affectionate integrity that caused multiples of friends to gravitate to her. Sylvia will join her beloved Henry at rest and overlooking the world, at the Hillside Memorial Park in West Los Angeles. Memorial services will be private. To view and sign this guestbook, please visit: mydesert.com/obituaries.