Sylvia Humm Poeckert
March 3, 1933 ~ August 13, 2022
Sylvia “Grandmommie” Poeckert, 89, passed away August 13th 2022, with her husband and the rest of her family at her side.
A true northern Virginian, she was born Amaryllis Sylvia Humm on 3/3/33 in Montgomery County, MD and was the daughter of Edward Humm and Louisa Margret (Tayman) Humm. She grew up in McLean in a house built by her father. She enjoyed the company of her two sisters Vangie and Kathy and brother Eddie, as well as a menagerie of family pets she fondly recalled. These included Lil Fella the dog and Gobble-Gobble the pet turkey, who was well-known in the neighborhood as a fierce guardian of the homestead, as at least one of her sister's boyfriends discovered firsthand.
After graduating from Falls Church High School, she attended American University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Art with a minor in Education. She put her training to work swiftly, teaching at Chesterbrook and Haycock Elementary Schools. It was during this time that she met her husband of 64 years, Kenneth Poeckert in 1956, whom she would eventually marry in 1958.
Together, Ken and Sylvia quite literally took the world by storm, as Ken’s government job took them everywhere from Greece to Ghana to the Philippines. From learning to communicate with the locals to embracing the local cuisine, Sylvia handled the expat life with the grace and elan required in these remote outputs. In Athens, they lived in a house with an orchard in the back yard. In Accra, she was known for hosting lively parties including a Cave Man party. And in Clark Field, she helped organize the Fourth of July parade. Along the way, she managed to raise two children Carol (born 1960) and Kevin (born 1963) across four continents.
Upon returning to the US after several rotations abroad, she focused on raising their children and keeping up her many hobbies, including painting and gardening. She was renowned for her pies, especially sour cherry that used fruit picked fresh from the sour cherry tree in the back yard of their house on Woodrow Street. When their children were in high school, she returned to teaching as an assistant teacher at Wolf Trap Elementary School. She also volunteered for 32 years at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and spent many wonderful evenings working there together with her daughter, who she had also inspired to volunteer.
Despite her passion for teaching, Sylvia retired with the birth of her first grandson, Jefferson, in 1993. Another grandson, Wray, followed in 1995, and soon she had her hands full taking them to visit museums in DC or to pick apples out near Markham. She was also incredibly dedicated to family; at every gathering she could be found in the kitchen with her sisters, preparing a delicious meal and drinking gin on the rocks. They were affectionately called the “Kitchen Sisters”.
As the years passed, her love for family never waned, and she passed on many of her great loves—art to one grandson, music to the other. She was proud of this, and though her loved ones miss her, those who know her will continue to cherish the friendships she built and the wisdom she imparted and continue to share these with others, ensuring that her legacy will continue to make the world a better place even long after her passing.
She is survived by her husband Kenneth, sister Kathy Karlson of Harrisonburg, daughter Carol (husband Keith Sinclair) of Herndon, VA, son Kevin (wife Sherri) of Kingsport, TN, grandsons Jeff and Wray and niece Evangeline (Vangie).
A memorial service will be held on September 6th at 2 pm at Oakton United Methodist Church, 2951 Chain Bridge Road, Oakton, VA and will be officiated by her son, Reverend Kevin Poeckert. Friends and family can visit following the service at her daughter’s home. Donations can be made to Oakton United Methodist Church.
A true northern Virginian, she was born Amaryllis Sylvia Humm on 3/3/33 in Montgomery County, MD and was the daughter of Edward Humm and Louisa Margret (Tayman) Humm. She grew up in McLean in a house built by her father. She enjoyed the company of her two sisters Vangie and Kathy and brother Eddie, as well as a menagerie of family pets she fondly recalled. These included Lil Fella the dog and Gobble-Gobble the pet turkey, who was well-known in the neighborhood as a fierce guardian of the homestead, as at least one of her sister's boyfriends discovered firsthand.
After graduating from Falls Church High School, she attended American University, where she earned a bachelor’s degree in Art with a minor in Education. She put her training to work swiftly, teaching at Chesterbrook and Haycock Elementary Schools. It was during this time that she met her husband of 64 years, Kenneth Poeckert in 1956, whom she would eventually marry in 1958.
Together, Ken and Sylvia quite literally took the world by storm, as Ken’s government job took them everywhere from Greece to Ghana to the Philippines. From learning to communicate with the locals to embracing the local cuisine, Sylvia handled the expat life with the grace and elan required in these remote outputs. In Athens, they lived in a house with an orchard in the back yard. In Accra, she was known for hosting lively parties including a Cave Man party. And in Clark Field, she helped organize the Fourth of July parade. Along the way, she managed to raise two children Carol (born 1960) and Kevin (born 1963) across four continents.
Upon returning to the US after several rotations abroad, she focused on raising their children and keeping up her many hobbies, including painting and gardening. She was renowned for her pies, especially sour cherry that used fruit picked fresh from the sour cherry tree in the back yard of their house on Woodrow Street. When their children were in high school, she returned to teaching as an assistant teacher at Wolf Trap Elementary School. She also volunteered for 32 years at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts and spent many wonderful evenings working there together with her daughter, who she had also inspired to volunteer.
Despite her passion for teaching, Sylvia retired with the birth of her first grandson, Jefferson, in 1993. Another grandson, Wray, followed in 1995, and soon she had her hands full taking them to visit museums in DC or to pick apples out near Markham. She was also incredibly dedicated to family; at every gathering she could be found in the kitchen with her sisters, preparing a delicious meal and drinking gin on the rocks. They were affectionately called the “Kitchen Sisters”.
As the years passed, her love for family never waned, and she passed on many of her great loves—art to one grandson, music to the other. She was proud of this, and though her loved ones miss her, those who know her will continue to cherish the friendships she built and the wisdom she imparted and continue to share these with others, ensuring that her legacy will continue to make the world a better place even long after her passing.
She is survived by her husband Kenneth, sister Kathy Karlson of Harrisonburg, daughter Carol (husband Keith Sinclair) of Herndon, VA, son Kevin (wife Sherri) of Kingsport, TN, grandsons Jeff and Wray and niece Evangeline (Vangie).
A memorial service will be held on September 6th at 2 pm at Oakton United Methodist Church, 2951 Chain Bridge Road, Oakton, VA and will be officiated by her son, Reverend Kevin Poeckert. Friends and family can visit following the service at her daughter’s home. Donations can be made to Oakton United Methodist Church.
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