Sylvia Popp, age 98 of Tracy, passed away Monday, November 21, 2016 at Prairie View Senior Living in Tracy. Funeral services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, November 29 at the Tracy Area Funeral Home. Visitation begins at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial is in the Tracy Cemetery. Online condolences may be sent at www.stephensfuneralservice.com. Stephens Funeral Service – Tracy Area Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements.
Sylvia Viola (Radke) Popp was born September 14, 1918 in Tracy, Minnesota to Gust and Emily (Schoyer) Radke. She and her mother moved to Chicago, Illinois when Sylvia was a young child. Her mother died when Sylvia was only seven years old. At that time, Sylvia was adopted by her aunt Sophie and they lived in Arlington Heights, Illinois until she married Henry Popp. Henry wanted to become a farmer so they moved to a farm site near Tracy in 1948. They worked very hard to be successful on a farm with no electricity or running water. Sylvia was known as being very strong willed. Even though Sylvia did not live in the country as a child she adapted to country life in Minnesota. She was a successful chicken farmer and she was known for her high quality eggs. She enjoyed her time with animals such as dogs, cats, ducks, and pigs. She was a successful cook and avid gardener. Sylvia and Henry had two daughters, JoAnn and Nancy. Sylvia lived on the family farm site until 1988. Sylvia had a great sense of humor and she enjoyed laughing and joking with family and friends. She was an excellent self-taught piano player and loved to listen to many types of music. She enjoyed fishing for bullheads and perch. She spent many hours fishing with her grandchildren at the lakes around Tracy. She always looked forward to the figure skating season each year as she spent many enjoyable hours watching the skaters perform. Sylvia was a creative and artistic person. She was known for painting beautiful winter scenes on the windows of the house at the farm. She created beautiful Christmas ornaments and embroidered many beautiful pillow cases and table runners even though she had failing eyesight. Twenty years ago she was diagnosed with cancer and was given six months to live. Showing what a strong fighter she was, she beat the cancer and lived for the next twenty years cancer free. Sylvia was a curious person and she enjoyed learning new things.
Sylvia is survived by her daughters JoAnn Greenfield of Tracy and Nancy Thedans (Wayne Petit) of Echo; grandchildren: Tammy (Russ) Gilley of Wood Lake, Myk (Shirley) Greenfield of Marshall, Jason Greenfield (Jennifer Luetell) of Lake Crystal, and Denis (Theresa) Greenfield of Webster City, IA; great grandchildren: Jasmine (Brooke) Hurt of Cottonwood, Jaden Thedans of Echo, David Gilley of Wood Lake, Evan Greenfield of Marshall, and Christopher (Addyson) Greenfield of Webster City, IA; and great-great grandson Hunter Hurt of Cottonwood. She was loved by her family and friends and will be greatly missed.
Blessed be her memory.