Sylvia Johnna d’Entremont, 71, was released from the confines of her exhausted, earthly body on Monday, May 26, 2025, just before summer, the beginning of her favorite season.
Sylvia was born August 11, 1953, in Jacksonville, Florida, the first child and only girl. She was a sensitive child who felt so deeply, even for inanimate objects, that she would wrap the metal dogs on fences with toilet paper when it was cold. As an adult, she felt sorry for the grackles panting in parking lots and fed them french fries.
Her father was a preacher, which led Sylvia to question conventional Christian doctrine her entire life. Though she loved Jesus (Easter was her favorite holiday), she was curious about all beliefs, with her own best summarized by the Pierre Teilhard De Chardin quote, “We are spiritual beings having a human experience.”
Sylvia and her brother, Jay, with whom she was very close, were young children when their parents, Johnny and Vivian, divorced and they moved with their mother to Georgia. Vivian met and married Carl Waters. As part of his military career, the family were stationed in the Philippines, Maryland, and San Angelo. Even when her parents moved back to Georgia, Sylvia found her tribe in San Angelo and made it her permanent home.
She graduated from Central High School in 1971 and spent her adolescent years being the quintessential hippie flower child. She became pregnant when she was 19, and without the support of her then-partner or family, she felt forced to place her daughter, Tessa, for adoption. It was a decision she would forever regret.
In 1981, she had her second child, Rebecca. She wrote in her baby book, “I don’t know how I ever lived without her.” In 1986, Sylvia’s estranged husband, John, died of suicide, which sent her into a spiral of grief that was truly only abated when she was reunited with her high school crush, Ron, in 1991. He was the love of her life who was her rock, dutifully taking on the role of caretaker when she became ill.
Sylvia graduated from Angelo State with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and was a social worker, first at MHMR, where she found a calling helping individuals with intellectual development disabilities. She then worked for a decade at the San Angelo State Supported Living Center but retired early to help care for her baby grandson. She also babysat friends’ children and was a surrogate grandma to three special boys.
Though Sylvia’s life was punctuated with hardship, she did not allow it to define her. What did define her was her moxie, warmth, honesty, integrity, intelligence, emotional vulnerability, passion, quirky but hilarious sense of humor, loyalty, appreciation for music (especially from “the good ol’ days” but also ‘90s alternative; The Beatles and The Animals were probably her favorites), passion, and – most of all – her fierce love for her friends, family, and pets. Always one to root for the underdog, because she felt like one herself, she was an unabashed bleeding heart liberal until the very end. Even though she did not have much to give in the way of money or possessions, she gifted what she had, but – most of all – she provided unconditional love to anyone and anything lucky enough to cross her path.
Sylvia was preceded in death by her mother, Vivian Waters; father, John Glisson; stepfather, Carl Waters; father-in-law, Pierre d’Entremont; uncle, Ralph George; husband John Nelson; best friend Kim Campbell; and niece Tara Waters.
She is survived by her husband of 29 years and best friend, Ron d’Entremont of San Angelo; daughter, Becca Nelson Sankey (Brian), and grandchildren Gavin, Savannah, and Kate, all of San Angelo; brothers Jay Glisson, Kenny Waters (Leigh), and Kyle, all of Georgia; brother Shawn Glisson, stepsisters Teju Adkinson and Toni Sullivan, and stepmother Jan Glisson, all of Florida; brother- and sister-in-law, Pierre d’Entremont and Debby Hassur, of Kansas City; uncle, Wendell Snow, nephew Dominic Waters and niece Casey Smith, all of Georgia; aunt, Cecelia Snow (daughter Lisa) of Florida; nephew Ryan, of Maine; lifetime best friend Jennie King (Wayne), of Copperas Cove; surrogate daughter, Shaylyn Campbell, of San Angelo; beloved rescue pets, Heidi, Rosie, Stabby, and Simba; and several special longtime friends.
We will remember Sylvia in all that she loved: the fluffy clouds and thunderstorms, the summer sun on our skin, the birds (especially cardinals, bluejays, and grackles), coffee in the mornings, cotton candy, cake, and Coca-Cola; warm afternoons on the back porch throwing a ball for the dogs and floating in the pool to the sound of her favorite tunes, Mexican food at Henry’s Diner, and her favorite place of all, the beach. She enjoyed perusing yard sales and Goodwill, where she always found something for her grandkids, whom she adored and spoiled.
Service will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday, June 10, at Harper Funeral Home in San Angelo, with the Rev. Tommy Tallas officiating. Please wear bright colors (red was her favorite).
Special thanks to Hospice of San Angelo; Sylvia’s longtime doctor, Ty Hughston; and her therapist, Kimberly Hanusch. In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite animal rescue or West Texas Counseling & Guidance in San Angelo, sanangelocounseling.org.
Sylvia would want you to realize that time is precious and to spend it doing what you love with those you love. She would want you to be present, be happy, and to be happy for her…for she is finally free.
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