Sylvia Dee Baxter Pettit

Sylvia Dee Baxter Pettit, 81, of Rose Park, UT, passed away on August 9th, 2021 of natural causes. She has returned to her Father in Heaven, and into the waiting arms of her husband, Stephen, who passed away in 2000.

Sylvia was born July 15, 1940 in Union, Oregon, the second-oldest child of Rex B. Baxter and Lois Cline Baxter. She and her family moved to Salt Lake City in 1942. Five more children would be born into the family.

Sylvia graduated from West High School in 1958, and later served a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the New Zealand South Mission from 1963-1965. She went to school to become a beautician and kept her license for 40 years, giving haircuts and perms out of her home.

She met her sweetheart, Stephen Pettit in 1972 and they were married in 1973. They had two daughters, Christina (1974) and Erin (1975). She took care of many children over the years, including neighbors, nieces and nephews, and grandchildren. Particularly special to her was the chance to help raise her stepchildren, Kathi Floisand, Scott Pettit, and Valeri Harrington.

Sylvia loved quilting, but insisted that the quilts must be used, and many show the wear and tear of being loved. She also loved gardening and brought a bouquet of flowers to church for the pulpit every Sunday, even in winter. Everyone remembers her famous painted cookies with fondness, which she worked on for days before parties to have everything perfectly decorated. She loved music and had a wonderful singing voice, a trait that she passed down to her musically talented children.

She had a strong testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and loved church. She especially enjoyed serving in the primary as the chorister in the Rosedale Ward and had a particular love for primary songs. She also served as the Relief Society President of that ward. She is remembered by the members of the ward as being a spunky and loving grandmotherly figure who always carried treats for the kids and would always draw a laugh.

She grew up on Capitol Hill and has many fond memories of the area, and she lived more than 40 years in Rose Park, until her passing. She and her family were members of the Rosedale Ward for all that time.

She is survived by her daughters, Christina (Joe) Bowen, Erin (Robison) Wells; and three stepchildren, Kathi (Ron) Floisand, Scott (Robyn) Pettit, and Valeri (Leon) Harrington; 14 grandchildren, and 7 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by two sisters, and one brother: Jeananne (Larry) Hanney, Bill (Ellen) Baxter, and Mary Ellen (Jim) Bruner.

She is preceded in death by her parents Rex and Lois, her sisters Mary Elizabeth and Margaret Beth, her brother Cline, and her sweetheart Stephen.

A viewing will be held Monday, August 16, 2021 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Larkin Mortuary, 260 East South Temple. Funeral services will be held Tuesday, August 17 at 11:00 am at the Riverside Stake Center, 1148 West 500 North in Salt Lake City. Family and friends may call upon the family one hour prior to the service. Interment will follow at Salt Lake City Cemetery, 4th Avenue and N Street.

If you would like to send flowers, her favorite colors are pink and baby blue.

For those unable to attend in person, the family invites you to join via zoom at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83757854048. A free zoom account is required and you will need to log in to join the meeting.