Sylvia Mae Alter (Squires)

SIOUX CITY -- Sylvia M. Alter, 82, of Sioux City passed away Sunday, March 11, 2012, at a Sioux City care facility after a short illness.
Services will be 6 p.m. Thursday at Riverside United Methodist Church, with Pastor Tanya Sherrill officiating. Private burial will be at a later date. Visitation will be 30 minutes prior to services Thursday at the church. Arrangements are under the direction of Morningside Chapel, Christy-Smith Funeral Home.
Sylvia was born Aug. 7, 1929, in Elk Point, S.D. She attended rural school near Jefferson, S.D., and graduated from Elk Point at age 16. She was raised in the Elk Point and Jefferson area. She moved to Sioux City in the late 1940s and had been a resident since that time.
She married Richard Ward Alter Feb. 5, 1948. He passed away May 14, 1983, in Sioux City.
She worked at the Sioux City Credit Bureau and JCPenney's.
She was a lifelong member of Riverside United Methodist Church.
Sylvia loved playing canasta with her family and going to rummage sales. She was a member of the Five-Gallon Club for blood donations, several bowling leagues and the Riverside Cribbage League. She was the longest living member of the Missouri River Boat Club.
Survivors include her son, Rick (Rosemary) Alter of Sioux City; her daughter, Diana Cooper of Sioux City; two grandsons, Chris (Becky) Alter of Sioux City and Jason Alter of Omaha, Neb.; four great-grandchildren, Abby, Luke, Kirsten and Cadie Alter; two sisters, Jean (Earl) Petersen of Peterson, Iowa, and Lois Harkness of Seattle; special friend, Joanie Christiansen; and friends at the Skyline.
She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents, Neil and Ellen Squires; and her significant other of 25 years, Buzz Schmidt.