Anchorage Daily News
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Our beloved Mother, Mother-in-law, and Nana, Meredith Sykes died this Mothers' Day on May 12, 2019.
Meredith spent her life learning as much as she could and experiencing as many things as possible. She overcame hardship and loss to build a rich, independent, and creative life.
She was a small-town girl from Fargo, North Dakota who traveled the world, with adventures in Asia, Europe, and Africa. She braved the wilds (and not-so-wilds) of Alaska for 32 years before moving to Gig Harbor, WA in 1993.
She was the loving wife of Richard Sykes, Jr. for 17 years before being made a widow in 1978. She was an enormous source of strength when her daughters needed it most.
She was an excellent cook and baker and instilled that passion and talent in all three of her daughters. She belonged to wonderful gourmet groups in Anchorage and Gig Harbor and considered those women her lifelong friends.
She loved playing cards and was a devoted member of her local bridge group. She played games and puzzles and was a fan of the Sunday NYT crossword. (More than a few hours were wasted playing puzzles on her computer). She was both proud and chagrined when her granddaughter finally beat her at gin last year.
She adored language, literature and her book clubs. Her kindness and desire to help people learn made her a natural choice as a substitute teacher in our elementary school classrooms. Unfortunately, she never once showed favoritism to any of her kids.
She didn't start swearing until her 30s but became quite good at it. Particularly under her breath.
After getting her three girls off to college, she went back herself to finish her degree at the University of Alaska, Anchorage. Not only did she enjoy it, she excelled and completely destroyed the curve for the younger students.
She taught us to appreciate the beauty of the natural world, ("Oh, Girls! look at that glorious vista!") and to notice all the sweet birds.
She leaves behind her daughters Stephanie Sykes, Suzy Tangen and her husband Kit, Wendy Sykes and her husband John Schussler, extended family, more friends than we can count, and the love of her life, her granddaughter, Georgia Meredith Sykes.
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