Sylvia P. Williams, age 85, of Pinetops, NC, went to be with Jesus on Friday, September 11, 2026. 

She was the youngest of thirteen children, growing up in Heath, Massachusetts where her family ran a small country store. Sylvia married at the age of twenty-one while working for an insurance company. After being married only a few short years, her husband passed away suddenly from a heart attack. Four years following, she met Billy F. Williams, who was also widowed at the time. They married and two years later, they adopted a small, two-week old baby they named Michael.

A year later, Billy became employed in Pinetops, NC, moving their small family to a new state, leaving their relatives in Massachusetts. Once Mike started school, Billy and Sylvia’s friends encouraged her to go to college for nursing, fulfilling a great need in her life. Upon graduation, she found taking care of the elderly in the nursing home setting to be her calling. Sylvia also enjoyed getting to know the family members of her geriatric patients and became close with many of them. It was there she became longtime friends with co-worker Gloria Whitley.

Sylvia was a nurse for Golden Living Center for over thirty years before retiring to manage Billy’s health needs at that time. After Billy passed away, she volunteered at the same nursing home as long as her health would allow. She enjoyed knitting, reading, and solving word searches.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her mother and father, Philipine and Leon Peters, brothers, and sisters. She leaves behind her sister, Theresa Peters Hicks; brother, John (Valeda) Peters; and many beloved nieces and nephews.

Sylvia’s son, Mike, was the apple of her eye, and her stepdaughter, grandchildren, and great grandchildren were certainly the leaves and branches. She is survived by her stepdaughter, Cheryl Williams; her son, Mike (Caryn) Williams; grandchildren, Jessica (Michael) LaClair, Stefanie Swanson, Madison (Justin) Norville, Eason (Rebecca) Williams, Zoe Williams (Fiancé Chris Murphy); and great-grandchildren, Avery, Elias, and Eleanor. She had many friends and caregivers at Edgewood Free Will Baptist Church, as well as her dear friend, Sherry, who treated Sylvia like a mother.

A celebration of life will be held at Carlisle Funeral Home, 701 Hospital Drive, Tarboro, NC 27886, on Sunday, October 25, 2026 from 2:00pm to 4:00pm.