ROCKLAND — Sylvia Siljeholm Alden passed away on March 27, 2020 at the Knox Center where she was convalescing after a brief illness.

Born in Evanston, Illinois in 1939, as a first generation American; the oldest daughter of Carl Alfred and Karin Siljeholm, who both emigrated from Sweden in the early 1930s. In 1944 the Siljeholms moved to Newton, Georgia, where they settled down and her father, Alfred, eventually started a construction company.

Growing up, Sylvia developed an interest in music and piano.  She took piano lessons and dreamed of becoming a concert pianist.  In 1957 she graduated from Baker County High School in Newton Georgia, and set off to
Newberry College in Newberry, South Carolina. Dreams change, and in 1961 she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in General Commerce.  

After college, Sylvia worked briefly as a secretary and Junior Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency. It was during this time, via her roommate, that she met John Alden, a young officer in the U.S. Navy, at a party.

On January 9, 1965 she married John, a native of Rockland, Maine.  Together they traveled and raised two kids, moving where the Navy sent them; Taipei, Taiwan, Florida, Maryland, Arizona, California, and South Carolina.

In 1980, John retired from the Navy and they moved to Owls Head, Maine.

Sylvia was a ‘people person’ who enjoyed and had a knack for teaching. She taught English at the Republic of China Naval Academy as well as the Chinese Petroleum Company in Taiwan. For more than twenty years she worked as a Chapter 1 Aide and Ed Tech at Rockland District Junior High (RDJHS) as well as the then newly built Middle School on Broadway in Rockland. In between teaching gigs she had a variety of jobs that included being a Unit Sales Manager for Stanley Home Products, and temping as a secretary at a variety of businesses.

Sylvia had a kind, loving spirit that people were naturally drawn to. Coupled with John’s calm and wise demeanor, and their combined generous spirit, there were not many nights, when their kids lived at home, that there wasn’t an extra kid or two at the dinner table. The couple enjoyed having young people around and were very active parents at school events such as dances, sports, field trips, and band trips. 

Sylvia and her husband, John, shared a love for travel, entertaining, playing bridge, as well music and dancing. They enjoyed going to local dances and dance halls and though they really shined at ballroom dancing, could also be found dancing to Country and other types of music. At parties Sylvia, who loved to entertain, would sometimes show off her own special dance dubbed the ‘Georgia Stroll’, which was sure to bring a smile. She also enjoyed cooking and hosting parties. For many years, after moving to Maine, the Aldens hosted a Christmas Breakfast for family and friends. Sylvia would prepare some Swedish treats such as Swedish meatballs, and bullar which is a cardamom and cinnamon sweet bread, as well as other recipes she’d picked up in their travels. Over the years there were many parties and cookouts at their home along Crescent Beach in Owls Head. 

After the death of her husband in 2001 she continued to enjoy traveling to visit her children as well as for family reunions. She made several more trips to Sweden to visit relatives, and took a family vacation to Hawaii to visit military friends.  She loved games and puzzles. She started playing bridge weekly with a group at the Owls Head Community Center, and her daily routine included working on a crossword puzzle during breakfast and watching Wheel of Fortune at night. She was always looking for partners to play cards, Rummikub, or to put a puzzle together. 

Sylvia is survived by her daughter, Cristina Alden of Leominster, Massachusetts; son, Dave Alden and his wife Marcie, and a grandson, Luke, of all Burbank, California; her sister, Karin Tabb of Leary, Georgia; her brother, Carl Alfred ‘Freddy’ Siljeholm, of Baker County, Georgia; nieces, Amy Tabb Smith, Monica Siljehom-Jensen, Carla Siljeholm, and nephew, Robbie Tabb, and their families; as well as an aunt and several cousins and their families in Sweden.

Services will be held at a later date. To share a memory or condolence with the Alden family, visit their Book of Memories at www.bchfh.com.

Arrangements are in the care of Burpee, Carpenter & Hutchins Funeral Home, 110 Limerock Street, Rockland.