On Friday morning, January 6, 2023, Sylvia Nicholson of Silver Spring, MD passed away at the age of 86 at the Seventh Day Adventist Hospital, Takoma Park, MD. Sylvia was the beloved wife of the late Sydney Jacob Nicholson, who after 43 years of marriage predeceased her in July 2000; devoted mother of David (Robin) Nicholson, Gregory (Sheila) Nicholson, Eric (Tony) Nicholson and Troy (Nicole) Nicholson; loving grandmother of Justin (Ashley), Rachel, Teague (Samantha), MacCallan, Molly, Blair, and Sara; cherished great-grandmother to Liran, Max, Coralee, Waylon and Amos. Sylvia was the child of a Russian immigrant couple, Samuel and Rebecca Cooperman, and raised in an orthodox Jewish home in Washington, DC. She graduated Roosevelt High School and attended the University of Maryland College Park to study fashion design but left school early to marry and raise a family. As a mother she supported her four sons' various pursuits. Sylvia was a dog lover, so the family always had one or two dogs in the home as her children grew. Sylvia's passion for drawing and painting allowed her to fill her home with beautiful oil paintings.  Her paintings also decorated her husband's restaurant, Sid's Delly (Aspen Hill) and their various businesses, Sonny's Uniform Center (Chillum and Langley Park, MD) and Uniforms and More (Baltimore, MD) from 1975-2000. Upon retirement, Sylvia worked in a friend's portrait photography business and attended many classes, including the writing group, woodworking, ceramics, photography and painting at University Park and Schweinhaut Senior Center. Through her time at these centers, she developed a love for playing pool. She even replaced her large dinner table with a pool table where she challenged her family to games. She loved to volunteer by assisting the art teacher at Forest Knolls Elementary School, and by teaching art classes at the Schweinhaut Center twice a week. For many years, she delighted in the friendships with her students and the artwork they created. She continued these friendships through the pandemic, despite the closure of the centers. She also valued her good friends and neighbors with whom she spoke nearly daily. In the last couple of years, she continued to work on and complete numerous works of art adding to her collection of pen and ink drawings, watercolor and acrylic paintings and whimsical paper mâché sculptures. She never lost her creativity and love of art. Graveside services will be held at King David Memorial Gardens in Falls Church, VA on Monday, January 9 at 3pm. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Children's Inn at NIH ( childrensinn.org ).