Sylvester Fitzgerald "Sonny" Adams

Services: A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 10:00 AM in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood, MD with Fr. Francis Early officiating. Interment will follow in the Church Cemetery. Visitation: Viewing/Visitation will be held on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 from 5:00 - 8:00 PM in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, where Prayers will be said at 7:00 PM. Sylvester F. “Sonny” Adams, of Palm Bay, FL, formerly of Mechanicsville, MD, finally lost his long battle with diabetes and was called to God’s loving domain on July 23, 2008. He was born on October 23, 1928 in Baltimore, MD and then continued his life’s journey in Maryland and Florida. He graduated from Margaret Brent High School and attended the University of Maryland and Catholic University of America. He served in the US Military and Naval Aviation as a flight engineer in World War II and the Korean War and then joined IBM as a customer engineer, from which he retired as a manager after 31 years of service. He managed IBM high security service operations in and around Washington, DC as well as in Bermuda, Panama, Okinawa, South Korea and South Vietnam. He also owned and operated AEI Locksmith, Inc. for 30 years, which installed and serviced alarms, locks and safes in the Maryland, Virginia and Washington, DC area. He was also a member of the Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department and was instrumental in starting the cadet program, a member and officer of the Margaret Brent High School Alumni Association and also set up the Margaret Brent Alumni Association Scholarship program and was a board member for the Hope Swann Teacher of the Year Award. He was also a member of the American Legion, V.F.W., Moose, Navy League, Locksmith Association of the District of Columbia; two Barbershop Chapters, Southern Maryland Sound and Harbor City Harmonizers and Capital Area Bluegrass Old Time Music Association (CABOMA) and was editor of their newspaper. He was a member of the Catholic Church and was involved with many church ministries, including fundraisers, CYO activities, etc. He also played the guitar, banjo and mandolin and played with many pickup groups and bands. His love of music encouraged his dancing prowess and enabled him and his wife to win awards in the Swing and Cha-Cha categories. He enjoyed the water and his three and four day cruises and fishing trips on his yacht. Sonny is survived by his wife of 57 years, Alice Ann (Swann) Adams of Palm Bay, FL, formerly of Maddox, MD, a daughter, Donna Adams Thurman of Crestview, FL, a grandson, Bryan P. Thurman of Crestview, FL, a sister and brother-in-law, Mary Evelyn and Eddie Wood of Mechanicsville, MD and a sister-in-law Catherine “Kitty” Swann of Bushwood, MD. He was preceded in death by his parents, Sylvester and Julia Adams, one younger brother, James “Jimmie” Adams and a son-in-law, Paul Thurman. The family will receive friends on Wednesday, July 30, 2008 from 5:00 – 8:00 PM in the Mattingley-Gardiner Funeral Home, Leonardtown, MD where prayers will be said at 7:00 PM. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Thursday, July 31, 2008 at 10:00 AM in Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Bushwood, MD with Fr. Francis Early officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. Pallbearers will be Bryan Thurman, Jodie Wood, Buddy Adams, Taylor Wood, Mark Adams and Wesley Pavlicek. Honorary pallbearers will be Elmer Wolfrey, Bud Tillman, Eddie Wood, Bo Bailey, Billy Buckley and Frankie McCauley. Contributions may be made to VITAS Innovative Hospice Care of Brevard County, 4450 West Eau Gallie Boulevard, Ste. 280, Melbourne, FL 32934 and/or Mechanicsville Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 37, Mechanicsville, MD 20659.