Sylvia Cleveland

Sylvia Stanwood Cleveland Sylvia Stanwood Cleveland, retired copy editor and translator, died on October 4 at Christopher House of Worcester at the age of 102. A Boston native, daughter of Marian Harmon Stanwood and Philip Caldwell Stanwood, she grew up with her sisters Marian and Margot in New England, Chicago and Washington, DC. The family summered in East Poultney, VT. She graduated from The Winsor School in Boston and attended Radcliffe College, class of 1933. She lived for two years in Peking, China, where her grandfather had served as a diplomat. Returning to Boston, she worked for the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children and studied creative writing. She later worked for Town and Country Magazine in New York, where she met her husband Theodore Cleveland. A serious amateur musician and foreign-service officer who had served in Argentina, Mr. Cleveland also served in both US and Canadian armies during World War II. They lived briefly in Colorado then settled in Cleveland Heights, OH, where they operated a foreign language translation business, which she carried on after his death in 1960. Mrs. Cleveland moved to Boston and worked for Houghton Mifflin Company, trade publications as a copy editor. She contributed to the works of economist John Kenneth Galbraith, Irish short story teller Mary Lavin, and psychologist Julian Janes among many others. The variety of people and writing styles she embraced were evidence of her talent with words and her wide-ranging interests. Her first love was poetry, which she wrote in her youth and read throughout her life. Mrs. Cleveland moved to Worcester in 1988. She joined St. Luke's Church, volunteered for the League of Women Voters, and participated in the Worcester Public Library's Book Discussions. She was gracious and gentle and she loved animals. She leaves her daughter and son-in-law Mary and Phillip Warbasse of Oakham; nieces Hope Franz of Boise, ID and Louise Quidort of Endicott, NY; nephew Douglas Adams of Southern Pines, NC; their spouses, children and grandchildren. She also leaves her sister Philippa Bowers of Charlottesville, VA. Her family appreciates the care she received from Christopher House of Worcester and the Jewish Home Hospice. In lieu of flowers, donations in her memory to St Luke's Church or the Worcester Animal Rescue League or the Friends of the Worcester Library are suggested. Calling hours will be at Mercadante Funeral Home, 370 Plantation St, Worcester, on Friday, October 14, 3 to 7 pm. Services will be held at 10 am on October 15, at St Luke's Church, 921 Pleasant St, Worcester.