Sybil O'Tilly Ebanks Carr

Sybil O’Tilly Ebanks Carr passed from this life onto her eternal home on August 14, 2020 in Palm Bay, FL surrounded by her family. Sybil was born on March 31, 1922 in Burnt Ground, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. Sybil resided in Kingston, Jamaica with her husband Johnathan Nathaniel Carr. 

In 1953, Sybil migrated to Bronx, NY. She chose an arduous path with her visa in hand to make roots and establish a tangible income for her family - traveling to the United States with one child, (Patricia) and another child (Donovan) on the way. Sybil forged ahead with tenacity in her new country. With her love for God nothing was going to stop her. To keep her visa active, she had to travel back and forth from the U.S. to Jamaica.

With so many responsibilities to provide for her children Sybil was determined to create a better life. During this time, their youngest daughter Sharon (Sanyae) was born and Sybil became a U.S. citizen. A few years later her husband obtained a green card and joined his family in the U.S.

While making a life in New York, Sybil worked extremely hard to provide for her children and many times had more than one job. Sybil worked as a neighborhood advocate for the City of Brooklyn and with social services. She also worked with special needs students in the Staten Island school system and the human resources department. 

After many years of hard work, Sybil retired and made Palm Bay, FL her home. Sybil was a member of the Lions Club and volunteered in the nursing homes and rehabilitation facilities in the Palm Bay and Melbourne area. Sybil gave financially to many organizations that were fighting cancer and child hunger. She was a faithful member of Bible Truth Church in Melbourne, FL for many years.

Sybil was the pillar in her family and the community. If you had a problem, you would call Gigi or Sister Sybil as she was affectionately known. She would uplift your spirt and let you know that prayer and action would yield positive results. She was an excellent cook, gardener, and horticulturist. Her faith in God was a huge part of her life - singing and humming hymns is what she enjoyed. But it was her love for children that prompted her to continue her passion for teaching and caring for young children and was affectionately called “Grandma” by all those that she cared for.

Grandma or Gigi will forever reside in our hearts. Her laugh was captivating and magnetic, her smile would light up a room and her love for all who knew her is lasting.

Sybil will be remembered as a wife, mother, daughter, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, and friend and will be deeply missed. Sybil is survived by her children, Cheve Khanna (Raj Kumar), Donovan Carr (Kim), and Sanyae Aquene; siblings, Stanley Ebanks, Howard Ebanks, Basil Ebanks, Patrick Ebanks, Carl Ebanks, Pearl Eccles, Beryl Ram, Doreen Rose, Hyacinth Eccles, Lasmin Foster, Atlin Swaby, and Anthea King; grandchildren, Amarpal Khanna, Kenya Cole (Timothy), Vishaal Khanna, Usha Khanna Taylor (Jason), Rajnish Khanna (Jennifer), Donovan Carr, Jonathan Carr, and Sarah Bacharach (adopted in the lord); great grandchildren, Jaida Cole, Toviah Khanna, Jensine Cole, Myles Cole, Allanah Carr, Asha Plum Khanna, Devika Aly Khanna, and many nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews.

Sybil is preceded in death by her husband, Johnathan Nathaniel Carr; father, William Stanley Ebanks; mother, Iris Othniel Myers Ebanks; stepmother, Setter Ebanks; brothers, Leslie Ebanks, Walter Ebanks and Cosmore Ebanks.