Sylvia Jeanette Passinault, age 92, of E8434 M-94 West, Munising, died late Tuesday afternoon, November 23, 2010, following a lengthy illness.

She was born on March 22, 1918 in Withee, Wisconsin to John Nels and Anna Helena (Snortum) Wing. Sylvia grew up in Wisconsin on the family farm. She attended and graduated from Moody's Elementary and Withee-Owen High School in 1935.

Her family moved to the Munising where she was employed by Atlas Plywood as a stapler. During the early years in Munising, Sylvia and her sister Dagne and brother Merv formed the singing - recording group the "Wing Trio"; Sylvia on the accordion, Merv on the guitar and Dagne as the girl singer up front. The group toured surrounding states at various functions, even receiving an invitation from George Gobel, who at the time was host of WLS Chicago's "National Barn Dance" radio program (1924-1952), one of the first American country music radio programs, a direct precursor of the Grand Ole Opry. The group cut several 78 rpm records.

Sylvia accompanied her niece, Vivian Van Doran, to Kalamazoo and attended Parson's Business College, obtaining a business degree. Attending St. Camillus School of Nursing - Nazareth College in Kalamazoo, she obtained her R.N. degree in 1948 with the U.S. Cadet Nurse Program. Vice President of her graduating class, her extremely high grade point average earned her the Mother Agnes Murphy Scholarship in 1947. She went on to her tenure at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo in the pediatrics wing. While there, she was the head R.N. for the infamous Dr. Homer Stryker, physician / inventor, founder of Stryker Corporation, a worldwide medical supply company. The Stryker Hospital bed is a standard in all medical facilities. Sylvia kept her R.N. license viable for over sixty-two years.

She met her future husband, Louis Passinault, in 1952; they were married and settled back in Munising, where she became a homemaker and raised their children.

She was a member of Sacred Heart Church. Her hobbies included knitting and crocheting, her doilies winning many blue ribbons at the Alger Fair. In the 60's Sylvia was a member of Famous Artists School Inc., an institution run by Artists Norman Rockwell and Robert Fawcett. Her beautiful artwork is a family treasure. In her senior years she obtained a degree from "National Poets Society" and published many poems nationwide. Sylvia did daily crossword puzzles into her mid 80's.

She was survived by her husband of over fifty-nine years - Louis Passinault of Munising; children - Jeannine (Dick) Fromm of Munising, Jonathon (Susan) Passinault of Christmas, Timothy Passinault of Munising; step-children; Tom Passinault of Munising, Patricia Wittington of Peoria, IL and James (Diane) Passinault of Ft. Valley, GA; numerous grandchildren, great-grandchildren and nieces and nephews; special friends Anna Watson of Kalamazoo, and Emmy Hopkins of Battle Creek.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her parents, son Gregory (1978), sisters Dagne Kordish and Bobbie Wilder, and brothers Oscar Wing and Merv Wing; granddaughter Tina Passinault, grandson Tom Passinault; special niece Vivian Dibble, special nephew Wes Dibble; best friends and classmates Katie Jinks and Alberta Teusink; and childhood pets, "Chubby" her Boston Bulldog who greeted her after school by hopping down the driveway on his hind legs and "Pete" the rooster who she rescued from an ash can after being abandoned as an Easter chick.

A Memorial Mass was celebrated by Father Chris Gardiner on Monday, November 29, 2010 at Sacred Heart Church in Munising at 2:00 p.m.