Lillian Sylvia Sanchez-Parker

With a heavy heart, I announce the passing of my cherished momma Lillian "Sylvia" Sanchez-Parker at home in Morgan Hill, California, after a one-year battle with pancreatic cancer and with her only son and caregiver, Eddie, by her side every step of the way until the very end.

Sylvia was born in Denver, Colorado on March 18, 1939. She lived in San Pedro, California as a young girl and for most of her adult life and ended up in Morgan Hill for the second half of her life, where she found happiness with a small group of friendly neighbors.

She had a rough start in life as a young girl, but she managed to rise above it all and became stronger for it. She was a free spirit with a big heart, had a friendly smile and lived her life authentically and courageously until the very end. She was who she was and always said what was on her mind.

Sylvia was an animal lover and enjoyed watching the Golden State Warriors' games, classic films, American westerns and war stories, and most of all loved all the Rough Dames from old Hollywood. She had a wonderful voice and enjoyed singing jazz tunes by June Christie, Anita O'Day, and many others. She was a fanatic crossword puzzler, enjoyed collecting quotes to help get her through this life, enjoyed cooking, auto and horse racing and taking care of her flower bed. And she had a bad habit of watching too much QVC!

Sylvia will be deeply missed by those who were touched by her very big heart and beautiful smile.

She will be buried with her late husband Dennis Conway Parker (9/7/1939 - 1/13/2015) at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery in Helena.