Lynda Louise (Silvey) Tumlin

Lynda Silvey Tumlin “went home” Sunday, June 28th, 2024; she was ready to go be with Jesus, and we are happy that she no longer suffers. But as you can imagine our grief is overwhelming. Space precludes us from telling you all the things she did like being Director of Religious Education for a major Marine Corps base, board member and later Board President of Religious Community Services, key leader of a Hispanic ministry at Fort Barnwell Baptist Church, Children’s church leader of Trenton Missionary Baptist Church, ect, ect. Instead let us, her family, tell you who she was.

Born in 1947 to Roy and Ellenor Silvey, she began life in the humble setting of the rural countryside of a little Georgia town where she met and married her high school love George Jr, our father. She was grateful for the family they built over the next 58 years. We are grateful for the fact that she was the foundation that kept our military family stable through the very fluid nature of military moves and deployments which could happen in the “old days” at a moment’s notice. Early in their marriage she habitually told dad as he left for work, “I’ll see you when you get home.” Later when we arrived, she would say, “We’ll be here when you get back.” Military moves and her Christian calling resulted in 23 moves in 33 years. Each time Lynda reestablished a home, found a new workplace, served new communities, and found a path for some dreams of her own. She would say her greatest accomplishment was her family whom she loved and nurtured. However, it gave her great satisfaction teaching others, often children, working alongside our father to serve our God. Frequent moves meant jobs that included necessary ones and those she genuinely enjoyed. Tenaciously she managed to finish her course work for a master’s degree in counseling, often with a grandchild sitting on her lap. But another move precluded her from completing her last required practicum. Along her life’s journey, she read constantly, tended plants and gardens, knitted blankets, sewed matching outfits, and crafting ceramics. As the wife of a senior officer, the little country girl learned to host parties that included foreign allies and those “strange Washington people.” She did so in the grand Navy/Marine Corps traditions she loved. Although, her direct, open, and very honest answers have caused George to choke on more than one hors d’oeuvre.

A lifetime of loving and caring yielded a family that remembers her today including a cherished husband, two daughters who carry her legacy to 10 grandchildren, and one great-grandchild. She dedicated her life to her Lord and her beloved family. Her tender spirit and unwavering loyalty were evident in her every interaction, making a lasting impression on all who knew her.

Lynda is survived by her devoted husband, George Jr, daughters Marti (Bill) Carpenter, Marci (John) Carroll, ten grandchildren and one great-grand daughter, Carpenter grandchildren are Alex, Jordan, Andrew, Joel, Jacob, and Alan. The Carroll grandchildren are George (Luke), Nathan, Anna, and Lilly. She leaves behind her very special friend Vicki (Donald) Heath. She is preceded in death by her parents and brother, Wayne. Even when her mind could no longer remember them, her heart did.

We will be remembering a woman who hid cherished plants to save them from customs agents, loved every animal-the needier the better, made sure the sweet tea pitcher was filled, always had time to look at lizards and frogs, read books until you fell asleep, knew the names of every flower, stopped the car to let turtles cross the road, and let you make a mess while you “helped” her cook. We will spend this life remembering the million ways you loved us, growing in the faith you planted, and looking forward to the time we are together again.

We will be celebrating a lifetime of nurturing and care Wednesday July 31, 2024, at 1:00pm at Greenleaf Memorial Park, located at 900 River Road, New Bern, North Carolina, 28562. The funeral service will follow the visitation at 2:00 pm at the same venue.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in her honor be made to the young adult ministry of Trenton Missionary Baptist Church, PO Box 369, Trenton, NC 28585.

Rest in peace, Lynda. Your unwavering love, quiet strength, and endless devotion will forever resonate in our lives.

We know you are hearing the words ‘Well done” we add amen to that and “call you blessed.”

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