Monday evening, Oct 27, 2025, after a challenging recovery from a recent surgery, Sylvia Hodnett Gex passed away after 92 years traveling around the sun, picked up stakes on the rock we call earth and moved into her Heavenly Father’s house. We have no doubt that her arrival was met with welcoming hugs of family and loved ones already in residence and of course our Lord & Savior!

Sylvia’s legacy is carried forward by her three most precious loves, her three sons – Jack, Brook and Danny Gex. Jack and wife Nancy Jo and their blended family, Jack’s children Bobby and wife Viktoria Gex, Ben and wife Darby Gex, and Hannah Gex. As well as Nancy Jo’s children Sara (Goldie) and husband Matt Lee, Pam Goldie, and Mark and Samantha Goldie. Brook’s children Casey, Julia and Eileen Gex. And Danny and wife Michelle (Lamy) Gex and their four daughters Emily, Elizabeth, Abigail and Caroline Gex. Sister, Linda Hodnett Wright. She was also promoted to Great Grandmother by Carson Gex (Ben & Darby), by Savana and Barret Lee (Matt & Sara), by Lydia Adams (Pam Goldie) and most recently by Bonnie Goldie (Mark & Samantha).

And her other family, ‘The Girls’; her dearest of girlfriends, the girls of the West Point High School class of 1952.

Sylvia Hodnett Gex, was born Sylvia Ann Fowler on Sep 14, 1933, in Gadsden, Alabama to Harold and Ona Fowler. She spent her first 7 years living on a farm outside of Centre, Alabama playing in the family General Store, picking cotton by hand on the land farmed and share cropped and seeing the family run the local cotton gin. She had fond memories of helping her father around the farm with tools, falling in a creek when she slipped off a log and helping her mother sort all the drawers full of buttons in the general store. However, fate decided she was to grow up in a different location. In the summer of 1940, in a driving rainstorm the family was involved in a tragic auto accident. Her 3-month-old baby sister, Linda Fowler (Aunt Linda), was rescued having been safely thrown free of the accident. Unfortunately, her mother was killed in the wreck and her father died a few days later in the hospital. Over the next few months forces beyond explanation were working to bring her and her sister to a new home. In September of 1940 mom became Sylvia Ann Hodnett and Linda Hodnett when they were adopted by a loving Christian couple, Jack and Vivian Hodnett of West Point, Georgia.

Belle/Georgia Peach, and lifelong friend of her 28 high school classmates. She grew up in the First United Methodist Church of West Point and loved her mom and dad immensely. She attended West Point High School where she was a Cheer Leader for two years. The family vacationed in Daytona Beach, Florida and for many summers Sylvia attended Camp Dixie for Girls in North Georgia. Upon high school graduation in 1952 she continued her love of adventures by hopping a train and traveling halfway across the country attending Stevens College in Columbia, Missouri. And if traveling across country for two years of college was not enough or not an indicator, a few years after graduation from Stevens College in 1954 she became a Stewardess working for Delta Airlines in 1957.

During her years with Delta, she traveled! She vacationed with her sister staying in Jamaica and then in Havana, Cuba (before things went sideways!). She traveled to Spain and experienced the bullfights. She journeyed across the South flying in a DC-3 – asking with her Southern charm: ‘Coffee or Tea’? They even landed at the wrong airport and had to lean out the window of the plane and ask ‘Where are we?’ (true story)! She was based in New Orleans for several years living on Bourbon Street, seeing French Quarter history and enjoying great Cajun food! While at Delta Airlines she volunteered, trained and was selected as a one of Delta Airlines’ first “Jet Age” flight attendants. Mom was one of 12 girls to fly the inaugural Atlanta, Miami, Chicago routes on the new DC-8 jets. They took the girls to New York to be fitted with new uniforms designed by Hollywood and Academy Award winning costume designer, Edith Head. Mom loved her years of flying. Yet those were to change as she fell hopelessly in love with a dashing flyboy named Robert Brooking Gex III who also worked at Delta.

Sylvia and Bob were married in August of 1962. They had three children: Hardy Jackson Hodnett Gex (63), Lewis Brooking Kempner Gex (65) and Robert William Daniel Gex (67). The years of living at 319 Hickory Post Lane were for the most part idyllic and small town through the 1960’s and 1970’s. There were cocktail dinner parties, trips to New Orleans with the neighbors, summer trips to the grand parents in Georgia, and a million kids birthday parties, homemade ice cream, and years of sporting events where she earned the nickname, Mama Gex. In the summer of 1978, she lost the love of her life as Bob Gex passed away. Summoning courage she charged ahead continuing the task of raising her three boys through school and off to graduation from college. Many childhood friends, Spartan classmates and teammates, and a group of Aggie friends (Bob’s alma mater) would always be a part of their lives.

In 1995 Sylvia earned her greatest promotion and took on her most favorite of titles: Grammy. Over the next 10 years she was blessed with 10 grandchildren. She would dote, spoil, comfort, entertain, did I say spoil, and love without question or limits those 10 grand kids – 3 boys and 7 girls until this very day. The spoiling rotten time was most evident around the numerous birthdays throughout the year. With cakes, famous homemade peach ice cream – only made with Georgia Peaches – because they were better and she was one – and the birthday shopping trip with Grammy (the girls loved the shopping day with Grammy)! The greatest meal, of historic proportion in feast and memories was always Thanksgiving Dinner. But the grandest display of family love and the Spirit of Christmas morning gathering of the grandkids with Grammy to open presents.

This is but a snap shot of her legacy. The hope is that the Moma Gex and Grammy love that was, and still is, leaps out from these words and that just at least a little goes home with the reader. Welcome to the family.

Funeral services in Houston will be held at Dettling Funeral Home 14094 Memorial Drive Houston, TX 77079 Thursday November 6, 2025, with visitation from 5:00PM to 8:00PM with a blessing and eulogies at 7:00PM.

There will be additional services at Valley-Point Funeral Home, 1011 N Lanier Ave. Lanett, AL 36863 Thursday November 20, 2025, with visitation from 11:00AM to 1:00PM with burial immediately following in Marseilles Cemetery 400-498 E 12th St, West Point, GA 31833.

Donations can be made to the American Heart association or MD Anderson. Or – to the charity of your choice in her honor.

Interment

Nov

20

Marseilles Cemetery

400-498 E 12th St
West Point, GA 31833

Visitation

Nov

20

Valley-Point Funeral Home & Cremation

1011 N. Lanier Ave
Lanett, AL 36863

11:00 AM - 1:00 PM