Teddie Elwood Sykes

Mr. Teddie Elwood Sykes, 87, passed away on Saturday, June 30, 2018, at Winston Medical Center in Louisville, MS. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A. M. on Friday, July 6th, at First Baptist Church, with Rev. Billy Bowie officiating. Visitation will be Thursday from 5:00 to 7:00 P.M. at Porter Funeral Home. Interment will be in Harmony Baptist Church Cemetery. Porter Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements. Mr. Sykes was born January 23, 1931, in Mt. Airy, NC. He earned a degree in Business and History at Upper Iowa University, while serving in the U. S. Air Force. While in the Air Force in Virginia at Langley AFB, he worked on the Airborne Warning and Control Systems, (AWACS), a radar system mounted on a 747 airplane. This system is still in use today.  He retired as a Lt. Colonel after serving over 30 years.   He and his wife, Joyce, then moved to her hometown of Louisville, MS, where he was a very active member of First Baptist Church and served as a Deacon. He sang in the church choir, and was an outstanding bluegrass musician, playing the guitar, banjo, mandolin, and fiddle. He was a Mr. Fix-it and could repair or build just about anything. He was a member of the VFW. He was preceded in death by his parents, Essie Faye and Coy Sykes. In the words of his nephew, Lew Bode, “His love for Aunt Joyce was unmatched, having been married to her for 63 years …. And no one could love a child more than he loved his daughter, my cousin, LaResa Swisher. My daddy thought the world of Uncle Ted and they both loved playing old time mountain music. You can always be sure that when they got together, either in North Carolina or Mississippi, their instruments made the trip, too. Now they’re making music in heaven”. Teddie is survived by his wife of 63 years, Joyce Jowers Sykes; a daughter, Laresa (Dennis) Swisher of Clinton, MS; a sister, Ginger Bode of Mt. Airy, NC; and two grandchildren, Kayleigh (Ian) Few and Hannah Grace Swisher. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or Harmony Baptist Church Cemetery Fund.