Sylvia Wood Urlage

Sylvia Wood Urlage passed away peacefully in Austin, TX, on August 5, 2024, surrounded by family. She was born in 1938 in St. Petersburg, FL, to Violet Mary Belew and Wesley William Wood, the middle of three siblings. Sylvia attended Connecticut College. She married Ralph Herman Urlage on October 3, 1959, and as Ralph was in the Air Force, they had the opportunity to live in both Spain and then Germany, where Sylvia would give birth to Jonathan, David, and Leslie. Their youngest, Laurie, was born in Tampa, Florida.

Sylvia was an elegant woman with movie star appeal who loved both art and opera, but who also had the spirit, will, strength, and wanderlust of a pioneer. She was equally at home at her beloved Kimball Art Museum, playing ladies tennis, or hiking and camping in the mountains or along a river.

Never one to conform to the status quo and with a strong desire to expand her knowledge of Art; as her youngest left for college, Sylvia, who had been serving as a docent at the Kimball for 10 years by this time, decided to return to school at TCU at the age of 43 to pursue a degree in Art History. Four years later she graduated with perfect marks.

It was also around this time that Sylvia decided to start making her annual pilgrimages to Italy to continue to study art and to soak up the culture she so admired. During this same time, she also began finishing each year with a trip to Vieques where she snorkeled daily and took time to study the extensive sea life. She would pass on this passion for the ocean to her grandchildren through vacations, books, and stories.

Sylvia was a loving wife, mother, and grandmother who will be greatly missed. Sylvia is survived by her sister Aileen Weiland; brother Billy Wood and his wife Betsy; nieces and nephews; son Jon; her daughter Laurie and Laurie’s husband John; and by her grandchildren Lauren, Ava, Miguel, and Nicco.

A private family memorial service will be held at Emerald Hills Funeral Home in Kennedale, TX, on Tuesday, August 20, 2024. In lieu of flowers, Sylvia expressed her wish that you please consider a donation to the American Heart Association in honor of her son, David.