Sylvia Brabits
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Sylvia Brabits, age 83, loving Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother, passed away peacefully on Saturday, February 20th, 2021. She was surrounded by husband Bill Brabits, sons Wade and Wess Brabits and daughter-in-law Sharee Brabits.
Sylvia was born in Houma, Louisiana on January 1st, 1938, the oldest of two daughters, to Serezia and Leonard Olivier.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years Bill Brabits; son, Wade Brabits and daughter-in-law Kim Brabits; son, Wess Brabits and daughter-in-law Sharee Brabits; Grandkids: Katy Brabits, Taylor Brabits Connell and Chase Brabits; great grandchild, Wyatt Brabits; and numerous extended family and friends in Texas and Down the Bayou in South Louisiana, where her heart also resided.
She was preceded in death by her parents Serezia and Leonard Olivier; younger sister, Verna Mae Boudreaux; her first child, Hurst "Rock" Bousegard; niece Bambi Lynn Collette Triche; and numerous extended family in Oklahoma, Texas, and Louisiana.
Sylvia dedicated her life to being a fantastic and wonderful Mother. She excelled at practicing and teaching us unconditional love. She showed relentless support to all her children. She loved, mentored and supported us through the many passions and difficulties of our lives. When that support was helping one of us through difficult times, she was always able to help us find that pinhole of grace which allowed us to overcome. While she was supporting our passions, her interest, love and support, allowed us to excel. Sylvia gave us life, changed our diapers, taught us how to walk and talk, cooked our meals, made us clothes, watched movies with us, passed on her love of reading, indulged in our interest and the list is endless. But most of all, she taught us how to love unconditionally.
After the kids were gone, beginning life and careers of their own, Sylvia decided to go back to school at Kilgore College. Just as she had many years before, being valedictorian of her high school class, she excelled at her new endeavors. Sylvia's passion at this point in her life, was to start a professional career of her own. The result was a very successful 17-year career at H&R Block as a tax advisor and manager.
Sylvia was passionate and had many hobbies. She was an avid reader, gardener, seamstress, excellent cook, bowler, and a very skilled dancer. When she was not filling her home with warmth or the smell of something on the stove, she could be found tending her yard and flowers or in her chair knitting another blanket or gift for someone.
We all have our favorite stories of Sylvia which highlight her fun and passionate side. Her grandkids have fond memories of Grandma teaching them how to swing dance to Elvis; or playing dress up with her granddaughters, allowing them to put on her clothes and jewelry and moderate a model runway show; or taking her grandkids to celebration station; or a big bowl of hot tamales while watching their favorite movies repeatedly. Her daughters-in-law have fond memories of all the spa treatments she insisted upon treating them too; or helping her future daughter-in-law plan the wedding; or helping during pregnancy or illness. And of course, she let the good times roll, whether it was dancing the night away with Bill and friends or doing a shot of tequila at midnight, Y2K, also her 62nd birthday.
Sylvia truly left the best of herself with many of us. We leave her with a poem from her oldest son, Rock, written many years before his passing, titled "Heartwinds":
Your soft, subtle breezes
Awaken me from soulsleep;
Anticipations and your smile
Ascend and slowly creep;
Destinies in question,
Directions, yet to know;
A soul prepared to be ensnared,
As heartwinds begin to blow.
If desired, donations to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation can be made in Sylvia's name and memory.