ELVIN, Sylvia of Needham, February 16, 2018. Beloved mother of Professor Claire Fontijn of Wellesley, cherished mother-in-law of Professor John Arcaro of Dover, and loving grandmother of Amica Fontijn-Harris of Wellesley.
Sylvia was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada on July 21, 1933 to Florrie Violet (Wroot) Elvin of Saskatoon and Lewis Vernon Elvin of London, England. She married Arthur Fontijn of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, on January 5, 1957, and subsequently lived in Amsterdam and in Montreal, Quebec, Canada until 1960 when Sylvia, Arthur, and Claire immigrated to Princeton, New Jersey. Sylvia lived in Princeton until 2007, when she moved to Needham to be near Claire and Amica.
Sylvia excelled as a seamstress, editor, musician, artist, poet, actress, massage therapist, and gardener. After completing her education at City Park High School, she was first employed by the Canadian Railroad in Saskatoon, then as an announcer on the Canadian Broadcasting Company in Montreal. In Princeton, she worked as an editor for Theology Today, The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, and for the Journal of Brain and Behavioral Sciences. From 1980-2007, she worked as a massage therapist, making countless people happy with her loving touch.
Her funeral will be held on Tuesday, February 20 at 10 am at Christ Episcopal Church, 1132 Highland Avenue, Needham. Interment will follow at Woodlawn Cemetery, Wellesley.