SILVA, Nettie
Nettie Silva, age 73, passed away on March 1, 2024 in her home in Sandy Springs, GA. She was born on August 4, 1950, to Jerry Willis Taylor and Mary Anna Turner Taylor in Tibbie, AL. She grew up on a small rural farm, where she was the adored and lovingly pampered baby of the family. Her brother and two sisters, all at least seven years older, remembered those years fondly and made a tradition of telling stories about that time at every family holiday. To this day, her surviving sister will start the dessert course with, "I remember the night that Nettie was born…"
Nettie was the daughter of loving and forward-thinking parents; her mother insisted that all three of her daughters would go to college. As a result, Nettie was one of the earliest graduates of the new nursing program at the University of Southern Mississippi. This was the era of the Vietnam War, and the Navy was offering to pay for her degree in exchange for two years of service as a Navy nurse. She and her roommate, Jackie, decided to enroll. In an unheard of stroke of good luck, they were stationed together in their first choice of location, Long Beach, CA. It was there that she met a charming sailor named Don Silva. He had two tickets to see Jesus Christ Superstar and a phone number in his pocket from a nurse he had met at a party. He had decided to invite whoever picked up the phone at this apartment full of nurses and, to his very good fortune, Nettie was the one who answered. This was the beginning of five decades of adventure. They were married on June 22, 1974, in Honolulu, where he was stationed. They built a home together full of loving banter, quiet devotion, and a willingness to try new things.
After living in Monterey, CA, for two years they moved to Atlanta in 1976, where she began work at Piedmont Hospital with her sister, Ginger. She worked as a float nurse and quickly became the Projects Coordinator for nursing. It was in that capacity that she collaborated with HB&O/McKesson, who were developing some of the very first hospital software for newly introduced computers. Nettie acted as liaison with the programmers during the beta testing at Piedmont. Her contributions were invaluable, and HB&O/McKesson soon hired her as a consultant. She spent the remainder of her career in hospital software development, providing much needed perspective from her years of experience as an RN.
On March 5, 1983 she gave birth to a daughter, Nicole Taylor Silva. She was a loving and devoted mother, and they had a joyful relationship; they traveled together, took elaborate cooking classes together, regularly went to the opera together and practiced karate together. She was a constant example of kindness, hospitality, and a strong work ethic.
Nettie loved museums and art, accomplishing a lifelong goal of hitting The Big Three with her husband: the Vatican Museum in Rome, the Louvre in Paris, and the Hermitage in St. Petersburg. She was even more passionate about history and seeing the places in the world that she read about: the Pyramids at Giza, the Great Wall of China, and the stone city of Petra. She floated in the Dead Sea and rafted through the Grand Canyon on the white waters of the Colorado River. She climbed Machu Picchu and hiked the ancient pilgrimage route of the Camino de Santiago in Spain. She also traveled extensively with her two sisters and their families. Each time she would say how lucky she was to have a family that genuinely enjoyed each others' company and loved spending time together.
Being part of a strong church community was important to Nettie, and she was an active member in the life of her parish at Holy Innocents' Episcopal Church. After her retirement, she became even more deeply involved as the head of the Altar Guild and a co-leader of the Education for Ministry study group. She immersed herself in the history of the church and of her faith, and she became a quietly devout theologian. She counted so many members of the church as her dear friends.
Nettie is survived by her devoted husband, Donald; her beloved daughter and son-in-law, Nicole Silva Yarsawich and Christopher John Yarsawich; her grandchildren, Christopher John Yarsawich, Jr., and Joseph Walter Yarsawich, III; and her treasured sister and brother-in-law, Mary Virginia Benton and Edward Joy Benton, III. She was predeceased by her beloved brother, (Noel Samuel Taylor); sister, (Dorothy Cecile Hicks); and brother-in-law, (William Ralph Hicks). She is mourned by her nephew, William Ralph Hicks, Jr. and his family (Shelly Staff Hicks, William Ralph Hicks, III, and Samuel Staff Hicks). She is mourned by her nephew, Edward Joy Benton, IV and his family (Ashley Lovatt Benton, Taylor Grace Benton, and Elizabeth Ashley Benton). Her life was enriched by so many wonderful family members, colleagues, and friends.
