Sylvia Louise Van Gieson, 77, of Newtown died on September 29 in Danbury. She was born in Boston,  to the late Mayellis and Elsworth Madan on July 13, 1939.

Mrs Van Gieson graduated from Jersey City Medical Center School of Nursing. She married Wilfred Van Gieson on September 9, 1960. She worked as a nurse in several settings, finally as a public health nurse for the state of New Jersey for 30 years.

She moved to Bethel in 2005 to be closer to her family. In 2010, she moved to Nunnawauk Meadows, where she lived until her death.

While living in pain for many years, Mrs Van Gieson always had a smile on her face and greeted the world with joy. She spent many years working as a Girl Scout Leader in New Jersey and was devoted to "her girls." She loved musical theater, reading, traveling, and knitting.

Her son Wilfred "Bill," and his wife, Maria, Van Gieson; her daughter Jan, and her husband, Russ Czinke; her sister Carol, and her husband, Burch Carr, survive her. Her husband Wilfred predeceased her.

The family of Mrs Van Gieson wishes to extend their sincere thanks to Newtown United Methodist Church, Western Rehabilitation Center, Regional Hospice and Home Care Center, and Bethel Visiting Nurses Association.

A Memorial Service celebrating her life will be conducted on Friday, October 21, at 7 pm, at Newtown United Methodist Church, 92 Church Hill Road, Sandy Hook, with Pastor Lori Miller officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the bcrfcure.org; Breast Cancer Research Foundation, 60 East 56th Street, 8th Floor, New York NY 10022, or Newtown United Methodist Church, numc.us.