Some called her the Tooth Fairy. Members of her family called her "Mi Mi."
Whatever name she went by, Sylvia Worthington's love of life and family made an impression.
She was born Feb. 29, Leap Day. Because of that rare birth date, she joked that she was only 22 years old. According to her son, Tom Worthington Jr. of Atlanta, when the day came around, it called for a "a lot of hoopla."
Mrs. Worthington's father died when she was 16, and her mother raised six children alone. After college, she left her home in South Carolina and came to Atlanta to work for the Veterans Administration.
It was in Atlanta that she met her future husband, Thomas Worthington, who was in dental school at the time, said daughter Rebecca Dorsett of Marietta.
"It was a rainy day," Ms. Dorsett said, "and she was at a bus stop with a friend. He offered her a ride home, and I think that was love at first sight. He proposed to her within two weeks, but my mother told him he had to finish dental school."
Sylvia Mae Bailey Worthington of Atlanta died June 12 of complications from Parkinson's disease. She was 88. The funeral was Thursday, with H.M. Patterson and Son Arlington Chapel in charge of arrangements.
After the Worthingtons eventually married, his dental practice took them to Rome, Tallapoosa and Brunswick.
During the Korean War, he oversaw oral surgery at a hospital in Japan. After the war, the couple and their growing family came back to Atlanta and he set up practice in a storefront while Mrs. Worthington turned her attention to family and a life of service.
She sang in the choir at Peachtree Presbyterian Church; joined a garden club; and took on a new role: occasional Tooth Fairy.
As president of the Women's Dental Auxiliary, "She implemented a program educating children about dental hygiene," Ms. Dorsett said, "and she helped with a program where the Tooth Fairy visited schools. Sometimes, a volunteer did not show up, so she filled in for the Tooth Fairy."
Mrs. Worthington also loved to teach her family history, her daughter said. "She loved American history. She would take us to the battlefields around Atlanta. Once, on a trip to Canada, we stopped at battle sites up and down the East Coast."
"Mi Mi" was especially popular with her grandchildren, Ms. Dorsett said. "She was a wonderful grandmother. She would go to the movies with the children, and wear the 3-D glasses. Or, she'd dress up as a witch at Halloween."
She also was a charming host and a considerate friend, said Roswell resident and longtime neighbor Doris Penn, adding that Mrs. Worthington was "very down to earth, and very gracious. She was very easy to be with. ... She could make you feel good to be around her."
Even in the face of an extended illness, Mrs. Penn said, her friend still displayed grace. "She had Parkinson's for I don't know how many years, but she accepted it. She did not complain, or go over all her ills. She was just a true lady. She made the most of every day. I was fortunate to call her my friend."
Other survivors include another daughter, Brenda Mason of Augusta; a sister, Ernestine Gold of Rutherford, N.C.; and a brother, Billy Dan Bailey of Charlotte.
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