Phyllis Sylvia Low

Phyllis Sylvia Crink, 84, was born on June 27, 1938, to Newell Philip and Lucile Knott Crink. She entered the Lord’s Kingdom on Saturday, January 14, 2023, after a short battle with cancer.

She is survived by her significant other, Harold Adams and Shelby Grabinski, Holly LeVora, Bradford Smith, Creighton Smith and Stewart Smith, along with nine granddaughters and two great-grandchildren.

She was an only child, and her father was Superintendent of schools in Malvern, Iowa and her mother was a home economics teacher. She graduated from Malvern High School in 1956. Sylvia remained in southwest Iowa while she raised her family in Villisca then moved to LeMars, Iowa and finally to West Des Moines for the last 25+ years. She was a lifelong learner, earning four bachelor’s degrees and three master’s degrees. She spent 34 years working as a psychotherapist and her last 20 years were with UnityPoint Counseling & Psychiatry in addition to her own private practice. She retired at the age of 80. Throughout her career she expanded educational opportunities to rural communities, lectured at conferences and served on countless committees.

She had a passion for experiences; she loved to travel in the U.S. and abroad and was always drawn to water, whether it be a coastline or beautiful lakes and rivers. Her love for adventure was fueled by obtaining her pilot’s license at the age of 50. She also liked to read, garden, was an avid antique collector and took enough pictures to “wallpaper with.” She was fascinated by genealogy and spent countless hours exploring and collecting information about the family. Sylvia was an unapologetic follower of Jesus and had been attending Valley Evangelical Free church for many years. She cared deeply about her family, always wanting everyone to live their best lives and succeed in healthy productive relationships. Her presence will be missed daily, but we have so many fond memories of her life lived well.

Memorials in lieu of flowers can be directed to TSC Alliance - Honor a Loved One or The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research.