Obituary of John Sylvester

John Sylvester, 86, of Gould Road, Middleton, died unexpectedly Tuesday evening at the Beverly Hospital following a long illness. Born in Peabody, he was the son of the late Manuel and Annie (Perry) Sylvester. He lived in Peabody in his youth and for most of his life. He lived in Middleton for many years. He was a veteran of World War II in the United States Army, serving in Guam and Pacific Theatre of operations. He was employed with McCarthy & Sons Tannery in the leather industry for a short time before starting his own business, Hot Top & Paving which he operated for over 50 years on the North Shore. Mr. Sylvester was quite athletic, and enjoyed Ballroom Dancing, golf, bowling, boxing in his youth, and he also loved story telling. He was a former member of the Portuguese-American War Veterans, Post 1 of Peabody. He is survived by: a close companion, Florence Beede of Lynn; four daughters, Frances Theriault and Bertha Germano, both of Peabody, Ann Sylvester of Salem, and Sarah Sally Dowd of IL; 16 grandchildren and 24 great-grand-children; one brother, Joseph Sylvester of Peabody; one sister, Hilda Thibedeau of Peabody, and many nieces and nephews. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to gather on Saturday from 10 AM to 12 Noon at the Conway facility at 12 Chestnut ST. of the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, Peabody, followed by a Graveside Commemoration Ceremony at 12:30 P.M. in Puritan Lawn Memorial Park, Peabody. Burial will follow.