Sylvia H. Palmer

Sylvia Hoffman Palmer, 98, formerly of Santa Cruz, passed away peacefully in San Jose on June 11. Born in San Francisco on June 2, 1914, she was the eldest daughter of Saul R. and Sophie Hoffman, Russian-Jewish immigrants. When Sylvia was five, the family moved to Los Angeles. In 1929, due to hard economic times, Sylvia had to leave high school to become a secretary. Nevertheless, forty years later, she earned her high school equivalency and even enrolled in community college courses. A lifelong learner, Sylvia was an avid reader who also enjoyed attending lectures on global issues. She took up knitting and painting in her later years, and at 80, mastered the computer and email. In 1937, she took a government job as a stenographer in Washington, DC. Later, Sylvia worked as a secretary for the Filipino Chamber of Commerce in L.A. and it was there that she met her first husband, Roque E. De La Ysla. Due to California's anti-miscegenation laws, the couple married out-of-state. In 1950, she met her second husband, Marlind "Marc" D. Palmer. They moved from Southern California to Grass Valley, finally settling in Santa Cruz for the next four decades. Sylvia had several secretarial jobs in Santa Cruz until her retirement from the Santa Cruz County Office of Education in 1978. Sylvia was an enthusiastic volunteer: she served as Newsletter Editor and Co-Treasurer for the Santa Cruz Chapter of Hadassah; she was Treasurer for T.O.P.S. (Take Off Pounds Sensibly); she volunteered for Grey Bears and for Temple Beth El in Aptos; and she served as a docent for the Long's Marine Lab in Santa Cruz. In addition, Sylvia and Marc shared a love of nature, animals and motor home travel. Curious about the world, Sylvia also traveled to Mexico, Guatemala, Israel, China and Russia with daughters or friends. Despite her modest formal education, Sylvia was a prolific writer and family historian. She wrote and collected numerous family stories, articles and short fiction. In 2001, Sylvia was featured in a Santa Cruz Sentinel article, "Good Food for Hard Times," in which she shared her recipe for Beans and Barley Soup. At 90, Sylvia self-published her memoir, Marrying Roque, available on Amazon.com. Sylvia leaves her two daughters, Gloria Heistein of Santa Clara, California and Linda De La Ysla of Catonsville, Maryland and their respective families: son-in-law Bill Heistein, grandchildren David, Sarina, Ben and Mike, as well as David's wife Seeta and Sylvia's great granddaughters Sasha and Jordan. She is also survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Irving S. and Margie Hoffman, of Studio City, California and two loving nieces, Diane Le Montre and Jann Hoffman. Predeceasing her were Marc, her husband of 50 years, and a beloved sister, Dorothy Newberger. Family and friends bid Sylvia farewell at a graveside service at the Home of Peace Cemetery in Santa Cruz on June 13. Contributions are appreciated to the Santa Cruz Chapter of Hadassah, Temple Beth El, or to the Santa Cruz County Humane Society.