Sylvia V. Haywood

Sylvia Veronica Haywood (Collins), 79, of Hudson, passed away Saturday, June 14, peacefully at home, surrounded by her family.

She leaves her devoted and loving husband of 57 years, Kenrick Allan Haywood; three sons, Craig A. Haywood and his wife, Jessica of Dublin, OH, Kenrick F. Haywood and his wife, Amanda of Marlborough and Karl A. Haywood and his wife, Kate of Marlborough; seven grandchildren, Tevin, Kaden, Aliyana, Jason, Christian, Braelyn, and Amiyah; two great-grandchildren, Kyree and Elijah; three sisters, Uldine Collins of Yonkers, NY, Marva Collins of Worcester and Joyce Julien of Worcester. Sylvia was predeceased by three other siblings, Warren Collins, Ruth Collins, and Lynette Collins. She also leaves behind several cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

She was born in the parish of St. Peter, Barbados, daughter of the late Fitz G. and Esther F. Collins (Archer). Until the age of 7, she attended Miss Philips’ private school (currently Leacock’s private school) in Speightstown, St. Peter. In 1953, Sylvia relocated to Cambridge, MA, where she entered into the 3rd grade at Fletcher School. Sylvia graduated from Cambridge High and Latin School in 1963.

Sylvia had a strong faith and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior in her early teens.  She was a member of the Pentecostal Tabernacle Church and sang in its choir. She later became a member of Life Church in Fitchburg.

Sylvia worked for ten years as an administrator at Sanofi in Framingham before retiring. Prior to that, she was a legal secretary for the law firms Goodwin, Proctor & Hoar, and Hale & Dorr in Boston. She also worked as a stenographer for the Boston office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Sylvia loved sewing, singing, and cooking. She especially enjoyed cooking for gatherings with family and friends. Sylvia enjoyed trips with Allan to Maine and Barbados, and longed to vacation back to her place of birth with her entire family. Above everything else, her greatest pleasure in life was her time spent with her grandchildren.

Visiting Hours are Saturday, June 28, from 9 to 11am with a Funeral Service at 11am in The Life Church, 839 Ashby State Rd., Fitchburg. Burial will be private in the Massachusetts Veterans Cemetery, Winchendon, MA. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Diabetes Foundation (diabetes.org) or St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital (stjudes.org).