Dame Beryl Windsor

Beryl Audrey Sykes Windsor of Asheville, NC passed away peacefully on Sunday, March 17, 2019 at her residence at the age of 88. Dame Beryl is survived by her beloved daughter, Deirdre Windsor-Bailey and her husband John Bailey of Dover, MA and brother, Allen Sykes of Fetcham, England.

Beryl was born in Houston, Texas on May 14, 1930 to the late Jack and Dorothy Maine Sykes. She lived in England and Scotland until at the age of 10. In 1940, during WWII, Beryl and her brother Allen were evacuated to the United States as child war refugees on board the Duchess of Athol bound for Montreal, Canada. Together they traveled by train to Texas to reside with friends of the family. During her 5-year refuge in America, Beryl was sent to boarding school at the Washington Seminary for Young Ladies in Atlanta, GA, now Westminster School. After the war, she returned with her brother to England. The remainder of her education was at the Selhurst Grammar School for Girls and Clarks College, Croydon, England. Beryl worked for Radio Free Europe, New York from 1953-56 which was a highlight in the history of her career in public relations. She returned to London in 1956 where she worked in the Office of Special Investigations for The United States Air Force. Beryl eventually moved to Denver, Colorado between 1959-60 where she resided until 2000. She worked at the Federal Communications Commission, a U.S. Government agency in Denver as a Public Relations and Investigations Officer for nearly 30 years. She spent several years working as the Membership Secretary at the English-Speaking Union in Denver before relocating to Asheville, NC. Beryl was invested into the Sovereign Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, as a Dame of the Order in 1985. Her charitable work for the organization was primarily offering care and comfort to the sick and the dying in the Hospice of St. John in Denver for nearly 2 decades.

A resident of Asheville for 19 years, Beryl was a member of St. Michael and All Angels Anglican Church in Arden. In 2004, she was the 2nd Vice President of the National Association of Retired Federal Employees and was an active member and former President of the Buncombe County Republicans Women’s Club where she served as President from 2010-2012. She enjoyed her membership in the local chapter of the Torch Club where she gave memorable riveting performances as Queen Victoria in full regalia about from a historical perspective about her life with Prince Albert and for retirement communities in the Asheville area.

A memorial service will be held in the Chapel of Groce Funeral Home at Lake Julian and will be announced at a later date.

In lieu of flowers memorial donations can be made to Hope Chest for Women, P.O. Box 5294, Asheville, NC 28813.