Sylvia A. Shattuck-Hendricks-Taylor entered this world on July 3, 1935, at 4:30 in the afternoon in Bristow, Oklahoma, as an Oklahoma thunderstorm rolled in from the west. She was not born in a hospital, but, as family remembered it, in a house southeast of Bristow - a fitting beginning for a woman whose life would be filled with strength, movement, family, faith, beauty, and deep Oklahoma roots.

Nearly ninety-one years later, Sylvia left this earth peacefully on June 18, 2026, at 10:15 in the morning in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while holding the hand of her beloved husband, Edward Taylor, as another Oklahoma thunderstorm was brewing from the northeast. Between those two storms, Sylvia lived a full, wonderful, and glorious life.

Sylvia was born to James Franklin Shattuck and Anna Faye Shattuck. She grew up in Bristow and graduated from Bristow High School in 1953. Her school years reflected the energy and spirit she carried throughout her life. She was active in cheerleading, chorus, glee club, basketball court activities, pep club, and student council. She served as a high school cheerleader from 1951 to 1953, was involved in chorus and glee club, was Basketball Attendant in 1951, Basketball Queen in 1952, Pep Club President in 1953, and a member of Student Council in 1953.

After high school, Sylvia moved to Oklahoma City, where she worked as a secretary for Oklahoma City Casket Company. In 1954, she returned to Bristow, and there she met the love of her life, Don Hendricks. Sylvia and Don were married on September 17, 1956, in Miami, Oklahoma, and began their life together in Wichita, Kansas.

Together, Sylvia and Don raised three children: Harlin James Hendricks, born October 22, 1958, in Wichita, Kansas; Lori Ann Hendricks Sparks, born September 10, 1960, in Bristow, Oklahoma; and Michael Don Hendricks, born April 17, 1963, in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Over the years, Sylvia and Don made their home in Wichita, Bristow, Bixby, Cleveland, and again in Bristow. Sylvia's life was never small or idle. She was a devoted wife and mother, a secretary, a bank teller, head accountant at the Ford dealership she and Don owned and operated in Cleveland, Oklahoma, co-owner of a dress shop in Bristow with her sister-in-law, Majel Shattuck, and later worked for Bristow Public Schools.

Sylvia was a devoted Christian throughout her life. Raised in the Baptist faith, she later converted to Catholicism during her marriage to Don and raised her children in the Catholic Church. After Don's passing in February 1985, she began attending Woodland Baptist Church in Tulsa with her sister, Marie Setser. Her faith was steady and central to who she was, and those who loved her take comfort in knowing she has gone on to a glorious reunion with her Savior, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, God the Father, and the family and friends who went before her.

Sylvia loved her family deeply. She especially loved holidays and gatherings with her children, her husband Don, her parents, sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews, in-laws, and extended family. She was present and involved in the lives of her children, from school activities to sports, from the Cleveland Tigers to the Oklahoma Sooners, from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts to the many interests and milestones that shaped her family's life.

After losing Don to cancer in the winter of 1985, Sylvia began the difficult work of rebuilding her life. Her love and attention turned toward her daughter and her first grandchild, and soon her heart and family expanded with more grandchildren and, eventually, great-grandchildren. She carried the roles of mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother with love, pride, and devotion.

Sylvia later moved from Bristow to Tulsa, worked for a local manufacturing company for a time, and then retired. One of her great joys in retirement was playing contract bridge. She loved the game, the friendships, the challenge, and the community, with family and friends at the Tulsa Bridge Studio.

It was through bridge that Sylvia met the second great love of her life, Edward Taylor. As the old saying goes, sparks flew. A romance blossomed, and on July 18, 2009, Sylvia and Ed were married. Their marriage brought together a beautiful blended family and opened a new chapter of love, companionship, travel, bridge, family events, holidays, and caring for one another. For nearly seventeen years, Sylvia and Ed shared a wonderful and loving marriage.

Sylvia's life was marked by faith, family, hard work, elegance, loyalty, and joy. She believed in helping others and supported causes close to her heart, including the Catholic Church, the Baptist Church, Meals on Wheels, Feed the Hungry, and Town and Country School. She loved deeply, gave generously, and left behind a legacy that will continue through her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, extended family, and friends.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her first husband, Don Hendricks; her parents, James Franklin Shattuck and Anna Faye Shattuck; her sisters, Hazel Earnhart and her husband, Wayne Earnhart, and Marie Setser and her husband, John "Jay" Setser; her brothers, Charles Shattuck, Donald Shattuck, and Bill Shattuck; her niece, Dana Earnhart; her nephew, Michael Mullen; her mother-in-law, Kathryn Hendricks Harlin, and her father-in-law, Clyde Harlin; and her sister-in-law, Kathryn Ann Hendricks Mullen Hall, and her husbands, Gerald Mullen and Rex Hall.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Edward Taylor; her children, Harlin Hendricks and wife Dorothea Hendricks, Lori Sparks and husband Barry L. Sparks, and Michael Hendricks and wife Cyndee Hendricks.

She is also survived by her stepchildren, Dr. Edward Taylor, M.D., and wife Kari Taylor, Suzanne Taylor, and Stephen Taylor and his wife, Dr. Catherine Taylor, MD.

Sylvia is survived by her grandchildren, Andrew Chapman and his wife Tifany Chapman, Tempest Davidson and husband Jacob Davidson, Barry Don Sparks and wife Juliann Sparks, Jena Warren and husband Cody Warren, Nicolas Sparks, Michael Don Hendricks and wife Jennifer Hendricks, and Kathryn Hendricks Smith and husband Joseph Smith.

She is also survived by her great-grandchildren: Jamen Jacob Davidson, Audree Lee Robinson, Atticus Lynn Chapman, Dex Michael Sparks, James Reid Frazier, Major Lynn Sparks, Gracee Ann Sparks, Sylvia Elizabeth Frazier, and Luna Jean Warren; along with many beloved nieces, nephews, extended family members, and friends.

She is also survived by her step-grandchildren, Lauren Newman and husband Greg Newman, Courtney Taylor, Brittany Browne and husband Brandon Browne, Stephen David Taylor and wife Cassidy Taylor, and Katie Minick and husband Justin Minick; and by her step-great-grandchildren, Charlotte Newman, Conrad Newman, Isabella Browne, Lilliana Browne, Benjamin Browne, Victoria Browne, Colton Taylor, Greyson Taylor, Scarlett Taylor, and Memphis Taylor.

Sylvia A. Shattuck-Hendricks-Taylor will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and joyfully celebrated. Her life began with thunder rolling across Oklahoma, and it ended with a storm gathering once more. But between those storms, she gave her family a lifetime of love, faith, laughter, strength, and memory. Her earthly journey is complete, but her legacy lives on in all who knew and loved her.