Dorothy Sykes

Biography Dorothy Thornburg Sykes, 100, of Cocoa Beach left us peacefully on Friday, July 25, 2014, in Viera. “Dot” was born January 9, 1914, in Liberty, TX. She graduated from University of South Carolina in 1934 and taught elementary school in Hickory, NC. She met her husband, E.L. “Ep” Sykes, in Washington, D.C., and was married in 1947 at Andrews AFB. General Sykes was stationed at Patrick AFB as vice commander in 1957, and the family came to Cocoa Beach in 1958, where they were active members of St. David’s Episcopal Church. Dorothy loved gardening and having a Florida home where friends and family could visit and enjoy the beach, shuttle launches, and all that Florida has to offer. “The girl from Liberty” was generous and kind, as well as a fierce lover of life and freedom. She is survived by daughter, Charlotte Sykes, of Cocoa Beach; son, Lundy Sykes, and daughter-in-law, Kate Barker, of Norfolk, VA; sister, Hilda Gunst of Indianapolis, IN; sister-in-law, Frances Thornburg, of Bessemer City, NC; nieces and nephew, Susan and Lisa (Gunst), Dedie and Katie (Crawford), Lisa (Cobb), and Jon Cobb, and their families; and a large and loving family at Autumn House in Viera where she lived her last years. She is preceded in death by her husband; her brothers, Robert and Jack Thornburg, and her sister, Charlotte Crawford. Visitation is Friday, Aug. 1st from 4 to 6 p.m. at Beckman-Williamson Funeral Home in Cocoa Beach. Burial is with her husband at Arlington National Cemetery.