Sylvia A. Held

Sylvia A. (Berta) Held, 88 of Ransom passed away Monday, October 6, 2025 at the Arc of Normal, surrounded by her family.

Funeral Services will be held 2:00 PM Saturday, October 11, 2025 at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Streator, with Pastor John Gutz officiating. Pallbearers will be her grandchildren. Burial will follow in Allen Township Cemetery, Ransom. Visitation will be held from 4:00 to 6:00 PM Friday at Hagi & Schultz Funeral Home, Streator and from 1:00 to 2:00 PM Saturday at the church.

Sylvia was born October 14, 1936 in Streator, a daughter of Andrew and Leona A. (Shotick) Berta. She married B. Donald Held on April 2, 1960 in Streator.

She is survived by her husband, Don; her children, Julie Navejar of Kingsville, TX, Kathy (Tim) Armstrong of Ransom, David Held of Ransom, and Karla (Krista Ridder) Held of Bloomington; five grandchildren, Ashley (Michael) Martinez-King, Matthew and Ryan Armstrong, Jonathan Soucie, and Ian Seger-Held; and two great grandchildren, Katie Soucie and Michael Ray King. Also surviving are two sisters, Janet (Fred) Yeck of Elgin and Andrea (Steve) Pettigrew of Tualatin, OR; and several nieces and nephews.

Sylvia started working at Owens Glass in Streator prior to raising her family. When her children were school age, she went to work as a secretary at the Ransom Grade School until her retirement.

Sylvia was a member of Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, Streator. She was a member of the United Methodist Women and sang in the choir at the First United Methodist Church in Ransom. She had been a member of the Streator YMCA.

Sylvia was a die-hard Chicago Cubs fan and cherished the fact she was able to see her beloved Cubs win the world series.

Memorial contributions may be made to the charity of the donor’s Choice.