Sylvia Lunt Heywood

Sylvia Lunt Heywood, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and devoted disciple of Jesus Christ, passed away on Tuesday, September 15, 2026 in Gilbert, Arizona. She was 92 years old.

Sylvia was born November 28, 1933, in Pacheco, Chihuahua, Mexico, to Clarence Lunt and LaVetta Cluff Lunt. She was one of nine children, growing up with her siblings Marza Lunt Hatch, Maureen Lunt Bowman, Ora Lunt Bluth, LaRue Lunt, LaRee Lunt Bluth, LuDean Lunt Cardon, Gary Lunt, and Berkley Lunt.

Sylvia spent the first years of her life on the family ranch and farm in the beautiful Sierra Madre Mountains of northern Mexico. She lived there until she was nearly six years old, when the family moved to Colonia Juarez so the children could attend a formal school.

Sylvia's childhood was forever changed on May 4, 1939, when her father, Clarence, died of cancer. Her mother, LaVetta, was left a widow at just 37 years old with nine children ranging in age from four months to 18 years.

LaVetta later married Loren Taylor, a widower with six children of his own, bringing together two families and adding six stepsiblings to Sylvia's life: Hanna Vee, Nelle, LaSelle, Flora Jean, Elwood, and Jerald Lynn. Together, they became a large blended family of 15 children.

When Sylvia was 10 years old, the family moved to Colonia Dublan, where they settled into a large, two-story red brick home with enough room for their growing family. It was there that Sylvia enjoyed many of the simple pleasures that characterized her childhood. She played with her brothers and sisters beneath the shade trees in their large yard and explored the surrounding fields and creeks. She loved the freedom, beauty, and closeness to nature that came with growing up in a small community in Mexico.

Sylvia attended high school in Colonia Juarez at the Juarez Stake Academy, graduating in 1952. Having been raised in Mexico, Sylvia was fluent in both Spanish and English, a gift that remained an important part of her life and later became especially meaningful during her years of Church service in Latin America. That summer, she left Mexico for a summer job at Jacob Lake, Arizona, where she worked as a waitress at the Jacob Lake Inn.

In September 1952, Sylvia traveled to Provo, Utah, to attend Brigham Young University. After completing her first year of college, she returned to Jacob Lake and the Jacob Lake Inn for another summer of work. The young people there worked long hours, but they also made the most of their time together. Sylvia especially enjoyed riding horses, playing cards, going on bike rides, and simply spending time with the other young adults who worked there.

At the end of the summer, Sylvia returned to Provo for her second year at Brigham Young University. After completing that year, she moved to Salt Lake City to seek employment and begin the next chapter of her life.

During this time, Sylvia began considering serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was taking steps toward that goal when she learned that she had a serious kidney disease. The diagnosis changed the course of the plans she had been making for her future. She returned home to Mexico, where she could be surrounded by family and receive their help and support while she recovered.

After her health improved, Sylvia moved to El Paso, Texas, in the fall of 1955. There, she found employment in the accounting department at the El Paso International Airport. Among her responsibilities, Sylvia monitored the airport's fuel supply and ordered fuel for the military and commercial aircraft that stopped in El Paso to refuel.

While living in El Paso, Sylvia she remained active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and became part of a close-knit group of young adults. The group included other young people living and working in the area, as well as members of the military stationed at nearby Fort Bliss and Biggs Air Force Base.

It was through this group that Sylvia met Evans Heywood in October 1956. Evans was serving in the United States Army and was stationed at Fort Bliss. Their courtship moved quickly, and in January 1957, Evans proposed.

On May 4, 1957, Sylvia and Evans were married in the Mesa Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, beginning a marriage for time and all eternity with a partnership centered on family, faith, and service.

The newlyweds returned to El Paso, where they made their first home together while Evans completed his military commitment. Their time in El Paso was filled with friendships, and they enjoyed the company of many good friends as they began their married life together.

In August 1958, Sylvia and Evans moved to Phoenix, Arizona. Sylvia was eight months pregnant as the young couple prepared to welcome their first child. Their son, Clarence Leslie Heywood, was stillborn later that year. Sylvia later wrote of the heartbreak of leaving the hospital without their baby and of the faith and comfort that sustained them through the loss.

Sylvia and Evans were the parents of seven children: Clarence Leslie, Jolene, David Loren, Anthony Bruce, Larry Neal, Timothy Evans, and Jill. Their family became the center of Sylvia's life. She devoted herself to creating a loving and active home where faith, hard work, service, education, family activities, and time together were important parts of everyday life.

The growing Heywood family lived in several homes in Phoenix before settling into their home on San Juan Avenue in 1969. Those years were filled with the activities of raising their family—school, sports, Scouting, Church responsibilities, family vacations, trips to Mexico, camping, and the ordinary experiences that eventually became some of their most treasured memories. Sylvia particularly valued opportunities for her children to spend time with their extended family and to remain connected to their heritage in the Mormon Colonies of Mexico.

Sylvia and Evans also opened their home and hearts to others. Over the years, several young people from Mexico and Central America became part of their household while pursuing educational opportunities in the United States. Sylvia regarded these young people as part of her family and took great satisfaction in helping them obtain an education and build better lives. Her willingness to help others reflected something she had learned from her own parents: when someone needed help, there was always room for one more.

Service in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was a constant throughout Sylvia's life. She served in numerous callings, including many years of service in the Relief Society and Young Women organizations. She served as a counselor and later as president in Relief Society organizations at both the ward and stake level, in addition to many other assignments. Her Church service brought her into the lives of countless women, young people, and families.

Family activities were an important part of life in the Heywood home. Summers frequently included camping trips to Big Lake in northern Arizona, annual summertime visits to Jackson Hole, family reunions, and trips to Mexico. Sylvia worked hard to maintain relationships among an increasingly large extended family, and family reunions became an especially important tradition. She also developed a deep interest in genealogy and family history, gathering photographs, journals, stories, and histories so they could be preserved for future generations.

In September 1980, Sylvia and Evans moved their family to a new home on Mountain View Road in Phoenix. Sylvia later described the sixteen years they spent there as some of the most important years of their lives. It was the home from which their children finished growing up, graduated from high school and college, served missions, married, and began families of their own. It also became a gathering place where holidays, Sunday dinners, family celebrations, and the arrival of grandchildren created countless memories.

As her children grew and grandchildren began arriving, Sylvia embraced her role as a grandmother. Her home remained a place where family gathered often, and she loved having her grandchildren nearby. Food and family were frequently intertwined—homemade bread, cinnamon rolls, fresh-squeezed orange juice, cookies, and other treats became part of the memories her children and grandchildren carried with them.

Sylvia also became an important caregiver to family members during their later years, continuing a lifelong pattern of devotion to those she loved. Caring for others was not simply something Sylvia did; it was part of who she was.

In 1996, after sixteen years on Mountain View Road, Sylvia and Evans sold their Phoenix home and began another chapter of their lives. Later that year, they moved into their newly built home in Gilbert, Arizona. The Gilbert home became another gathering place for their expanding family and was close to several of their children and grandchildren.

Throughout these years, Sylvia continued her commitment to Church service, family history, and her family. She carefully preserved family photographs, histories, newsletters, journals, and stories. Her own autobiography, Mountains, Meadows and Memories, became part of that effort—a record not simply of dates and events, but of the people, relationships, faith, and experiences she treasured throughout her life.

Sylvia and Evans's devotion to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints eventually took them far beyond Arizona. Together they devoted significant years of their later lives to missionary and temple service, including presiding over the Chile Concepción Mission, serving in the Guatemala City Temple presidency, and later presiding over the Cochabamba Bolivia Temple.

Their years of service in Latin America were particularly meaningful to Sylvia, whose own life had begun in Mexico. Her fluency in Spanish allowed her to communicate naturally with the people they served and deepened the relationships she formed throughout their years there. Her love for the people of Latin America and the Church remained an important part of who she was.

Through all the different chapters of her life—from a little girl growing up in the mountains of Chihuahua, to a college student at BYU, a young working woman in El Paso, a wife and a mother raising children in Phoenix, a grandmother surrounded by an ever-growing family, and a missionary and temple worker serving alongside her husband—Sylvia remained deeply devoted to her family and her faith.

Sylvia is survived by her beloved husband of more than 69 years, Evans Heywood; her children David (Jill), Anthony “Tony” (Jana), Larry (Deanna), Timothy “Tim” (Shana), and Jill Heywood Hansen (Craig); and her 20 grandchildren and 28 great-grandchildren, who brought tremendous joy to her life.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Clarence Lunt and LaVetta Cluff Lunt, and by two of her seven children, Clarence Leslie Heywood, who was stillborn, and Jolene Heywood Davidson (Ron Davidson).

Sylvia's greatest legacy can be found in the family she loved, the people she served, the traditions she created, and the generations whose stories she worked so diligently to preserve. Arrangements by Bunker’s Garden Chapel, www.bunkerfuneral.com. Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.