Sylvia H. Dierking, 82, of Albany , Missouri , passed away on Friday, January 29, 2016, at her home. The daughter of Robert Lee and Lovie Belle (Poore) Harmening, Sylvia was born July 16, 1933 in Nashville , Tennessee .

After her parents' separation when she was in elementary school, Sylvia was placed in a Presbyterian Orphanage in Nashville and continued to live there into her teens. Upon returning to her mother's home, the family moved sporadically in the middle Tennessee area.

During her teens, a school teacher suggested Sylvia apply at the Cain-Sloan Department Store in downtown Nashville . She did and was hired as both a model and a personal shopper, a job she adored and remembered fondly. Another teacher was impressed by her writing abilities and suggested she attend Middle Tennessee State University to study journalism. However, in adulthood, she worked for American Airlines as a ticket agent in Nashville . While there, she met E.L. "Dirk" Dierking. They married Saturday, May 6, 1961, Derby Day, in Kentucky . Dirk preceded her in death September 13, 2003.

With her marriage to Dirk, they decided that Sylvia would stay home and raise their children, first in Nashville ; then Memphis , Tennessee , and various cities and towns across Missouri . Sylvia and Dirk bought and managed the Tiara Restaurant and Inn in Cameron , Missouri in the early '70s.

Throughout her life, Sylvia was active in her church, joining women's groups and leading Sunday School classes. When Dirk entered the Methodist ministry in 1973, Sylvia provided profound support—continuing her work with women's groups and Sunday school but also helping Dirk craft sermons and consider mindfully the direction he should lead the church. Outside the church, Sylvia was a member of P.E.O. Sisterhood and served as past president.

Sylvia was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her brother, Preston Harmening; and her sister, Carolyn Rawls.

Survivors include daughters, Krissi (Les) Hollrah, St. Charles, MO; Jennie (David) Brown, Albany, MO; Rebecca Dierking, Kirksville, MO; grandchildren, Leslie (Ryan) Magrew, Priscilla Hollrah, and Chance Brown; great-grandchildren, Miley Belle Magrew, Adalyn Mae Magrew, and Isla Leann Magrew; sister Priscilla Deering, Austin, TX; nieces, Ramona Seddon, Carthage, Tennessee, and Carole (Craig) Laemmli, Lee's Summit, MO; and nephew, Mark Rawls, Kansas City, MO.