Sylvia Witting
October 13, 1936 ~ January 6, 2022
Sylvia Witting, artist and educator, died of COVID-19 on January 6, 2022, in Reston, Virginia.
She was born Sylvia Joan Kuhn in 1936 in Lorain, Ohio, to parents Alexander and Elizabeth (Miller) Kuhn, whose parents emigrated from Hungary. Daughter of a toolmaker and a seamstress, Sylvia was raised to value the artistry of handmade things. She spent her youth in Lorain sewing with her mother, woodworking with her father, and making music with her extended family. She played piano at home, organ at church, and bass drum in her school’s marching band.
Following high school, Sylvia trained as a practical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She then attended St. John’s College in Cleveland, Ohio, where she met James Witting, a student at John Carroll University. They were married in 1962 and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois, before settling in Fairfax, Virginia, where she lived for more than 50 years.
Throughout her life, Sylvia had a passion for the arts. Her company, Lasting Bouquets, specialized in dried floral arrangement. She trained in sculpting, painting, and her greatest love, mosaic art. She was a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) and exhibited her work at venues including the Greater Reston Art Center (now Tephra Institute), University of Mary Washington Galleries, and Northern Virginia Community College. She mentored many high school art students who apprenticed with her over the years. When not creating artwork, Sylvia loved to dance and graced ballrooms across the region for decades.
Sylvia had a generous heart and enjoyed helping others as a practical nurse, schoolteacher, soup kitchen volunteer, social worker, mentor, friend, mother, and grandmother. She held a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
She touched many lives with her outgoing personality, positive outlook, sense of humor, and passion for beauty. She is survived by her husband James, her three children Michael, Patrick, and Sharon, and five grandchildren Celeste, Claire, Riley, Alana, and Vera.
Her memorial service will be held at 11AM on April 21 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the Sylvia Witting Memorial Fund at VisArts, a 501c3 organization. Funds will support need-based scholarships for young art students: https://sylviawittingmemorialfund.visartscenter.org/. Online condolences and fond memories of Sylvia may be offered to the family at www.moneyandking.com
She was born Sylvia Joan Kuhn in 1936 in Lorain, Ohio, to parents Alexander and Elizabeth (Miller) Kuhn, whose parents emigrated from Hungary. Daughter of a toolmaker and a seamstress, Sylvia was raised to value the artistry of handmade things. She spent her youth in Lorain sewing with her mother, woodworking with her father, and making music with her extended family. She played piano at home, organ at church, and bass drum in her school’s marching band.
Following high school, Sylvia trained as a practical nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital. She then attended St. John’s College in Cleveland, Ohio, where she met James Witting, a student at John Carroll University. They were married in 1962 and moved to Boston, Massachusetts, and Chicago, Illinois, before settling in Fairfax, Virginia, where she lived for more than 50 years.
Throughout her life, Sylvia had a passion for the arts. Her company, Lasting Bouquets, specialized in dried floral arrangement. She trained in sculpting, painting, and her greatest love, mosaic art. She was a member of the Society of American Mosaic Artists (SAMA) and exhibited her work at venues including the Greater Reston Art Center (now Tephra Institute), University of Mary Washington Galleries, and Northern Virginia Community College. She mentored many high school art students who apprenticed with her over the years. When not creating artwork, Sylvia loved to dance and graced ballrooms across the region for decades.
Sylvia had a generous heart and enjoyed helping others as a practical nurse, schoolteacher, soup kitchen volunteer, social worker, mentor, friend, mother, and grandmother. She held a Master of Social Work degree from Virginia Commonwealth University.
She touched many lives with her outgoing personality, positive outlook, sense of humor, and passion for beauty. She is survived by her husband James, her three children Michael, Patrick, and Sharon, and five grandchildren Celeste, Claire, Riley, Alana, and Vera.
Her memorial service will be held at 11AM on April 21 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 11900 Lawyers Road, Reston, Virginia. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to the Sylvia Witting Memorial Fund at VisArts, a 501c3 organization. Funds will support need-based scholarships for young art students: https://sylviawittingmemorialfund.visartscenter.org/. Online condolences and fond memories of Sylvia may be offered to the family at www.moneyandking.com
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So sorry to read of Sylvia’s death. Have good memories of bible study groups at St. Ambrose….Sylvia always so positive and upbeat. And that smile…wonderful. Emilie and Gil Gillanders