Sylvia Verdun Metzinger, a respected librarian, historian and community advocate who fought passionately for emergency medical services in Lakehills, died May 26 at age 78.
Known for her persistence and willingness to speak truth to power, Metzinger helped lead two successful grassroots campaigns to restore a full-time ambulance to Lakehills.
“I met Sylvia through her passionate online posts advocating for the return of an ambulance to Lakehills,” said Shirley Grohman, a fellow advocate and friend. “Her ability to rally the community with compelling data and unwavering concern was inspiring.”
Lakehills had lost its ambulance when Bandera County consolidated services east of the city of Bandera. Metzinger’s advocacy, coupled with volunteer efforts to renovate the local Ambulance Barn, led to the ambulance’s return in 2019.
In early 2023, when the ambulance was again removed with little notice, Metzinger co-founded Concerned Citizens for Emergency Medical Services (CC4EMS) and reignited her campaign.
She urged residents to attend Commissioners’ Court meetings, combed through public records, and helped deliver a 2024 presentation warning of “medical and legal issues” caused by centralizing ambulance service.
“Fearless and undaunted, Sylvia spoke boldly at times during public comments at Commissioners’ Court, even pointing out when the gallery couldn’t hear proceedings,” Grohman said. “Her legacy of advocacy, courage, and community spirit endures.”
Metzinger’s life was marked by professional achievement as well as local activism. A graduate of St. Mary’s Dominican High School, the University of New Orleans and the University of Texas at Austin, she became a leading expert on the 19th-century writer Lafcadio Hearn.
Her work in special collections took her from Tulane University to serving as manager of Rare Books and Special Collections at the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County, Ohio.
She was remembered by colleagues for her generosity. “Sylvia was the one who launched my Lafcadio Hearn journey,” said Steven Laurenz, who met her at Tulane. “She graciously offered to come in on a Sunday to show me the Lafcadio Hearn collection … I will be forever grateful to Sylvia for opening that door.”
Friends also recalled her humor and directness. “She was never afraid to get involved and was often a leader in making our community better,” said Jeannette Garcia (Drenner), who knew her through local civic work.
Born in New Orleans in 1946, Metzinger retired with her husband, Frederic “Fred” Metzinger, to the Texas Hill Country, where she enjoyed the “front porch view of her dreams” for 15 years. She is survived by her husband and their daughter, Erin Metzinger Collier.
“She will be missed dearly,” Grohman said.
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