Miss Xia Linette Sykes

Miss Xia Linette Sykes, 19, of Peoria, IL, passed away at 7:28 pm on Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at home. She was welcomed into the loving arms of her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and our ancestors, joining the lineage that holds her forever. Xia was born on October 20, 2006 in Peoria, IL. She was a ray of sunshine and brought joy to her parents Darlene (Nance) Sykes and Dwight Sykes, Sr. Xia loved her family immensely. She enjoyed family gatherings and had a true love for travel, from visiting relatives in Indianapolis, IN to exploring places as far away as Washington, D.C., the Bahamas, and Cozumel, Mexico. Xia was an active member of St. Paul Peoria Church where she gave her life to Christ and was baptized at the age of 5 on September 16, 2012. She served in several children’s ministries. Xia was a Praise Dancer, Choir member, Approved Workmen Are Not Ashamed (AWANA) Children’s Bible Study, and was a Praise and Worship Leader. She loved children and had a heart to take care of them. As a teenager, Xia completed over 300 hours of community service in the St. Paul Nursery Ministry as the Lead High School Servant and the Young Lives Nursery Ministry, a resource that offered mentorship, community, and a life with Christ for teen moms. Xia had an insatiable curiosity from an early age. She was a lifelong learner, gathering wisdom and experiences like treasures. She began her primary education at King’s Kids Childcare Preschool at Southside Mission and went on to attend Hines Primary School and Washington/Reservoir Gifted School, where her love of learning flourished. She was also well-rounded in diverse co-curricular activities. Xia started modeling at 6 years old in the Janet’s Just For You Fashion Show. She looked forward to participating in the show over the years. From age 8 to 12, she performed in local and regional events as a member of the Diamond Elite/Royal Family Majorette Dance team under coaches Courtney Mason and Shenneca Williams. As a young fashionista, Xia enjoyed fashion and makeup. She honed her skills as a young make-up artist by using her mother, her Aunt Beverly and herself as models. Her talent and skills led to many family and friends requesting her services for special events. Recently, her makeup artistry was featured in the 2023 Peoria Fashion Week marketing photo shoot and for the 2025 Peoria Fashion Week. Xia nurtured her thirst for knowledge starting in middle school through her high school years in different programs at Bradley University (BU) including, the Bradley University Detroit Area Pre-College Engineering Program (BU DAPCEP), where she explored subjects such as musical math, coding, electrical engineering, biology, and chemistry. She further strengthened her academic foundation by completing SAT preparation courses, the inaugural Aviation Career Education Academy (ACE) in the summer of 2023, and the Building Excellent Scientists for Tomorrow (BEST) internships for high school students, in which she completed a statistical research study. In the summer of 2025, she participated in the ACE program as a Student Counselor-in-Training and was looking forward to returning as a Student Counselor in the summer of 2026. Xia attended Richwoods High School and was an active participant and leader in the following student clubs: Interact Club (Chair), Spanish Club (Vice President), Science Club, Student Council, Minority Academic Advancement Project (MAAP) and TRiO Upward Bound Program at Illinois Central College. She graduated Magna Cum Laude in May of 2025 with a diploma in the International Baccalaureate (IB) program. Her many academic accomplishments in high school were recognized through various awards and honors, including the Honor Roll, National Honor Society, Rotary Service Above Self Prescott Bloom Award, and The Illinois Principals Award. Xia was accepted to the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) with a full four-year scholarship. She started in the fall of 2025 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Business. Her goal was to become a child psychologist. On campus, she continued her passion for modeling and fashion by joining the Moda Bellissima Modeling Troupe at UIUC. Xia also recognized the importance of finding peers who were not ashamed of their faith. In October, she joined the Acts Campus Ministry at UIUC. She became a faithful member of the Tuesday Night Activation service and attended their Fall Retreat. Her relationship with God was becoming more intimate. Xia leaves to cherish her most precious memory, her parents, Darlene Nance Sykes of Peoria, IL and Dwight Sykes, Sr. of Edwardsville, IL; one sister, Amira (George,V) Evans of Whitestown, IN; two brothers, Jonathan Sykes of Mesa, AZ and Dwight Sykes, Jr. of Memphis, TN; her paternal grandparents, James and Wilma Sykes, Sr. of Clarksdale, MS; two nieces, Camilla Evans and Irie Sykes; her aunts and uncles, Gregory (Diana) Nance of Huber Heights, OH; Beverly Nance, Jeffrey Nance, Michael Nance, Diane “Linda” (Dale) Jackson and Thurman "Butch" Tate all of Peoria, IL, Ray (Camilla) Sykes, Demetra “Rene” Sykes and James "Poochie" Sykes, Jr. all of Clarksdale, MS and Marco (De'Undrea) Sykes of Memphis, TN, Linda Peace of Whitestown, IN; her 1st cousins, Andre (Crystal) Nance, Randy Jackson, Mario Jackson, Tamara Nance, Michael Nance, Makaila Nance, Alicia Sykes-Diggs, Ashton Sykes, Addison Sykes, Tyson Phillips, Mariah Sykes and Desmond Sykes; her Godparents, Sonyta and Marchan Atkins and Dr. Jacqueline Henderson Hunter; her Godsisters, Kayla Washington, Hannah Washington and Tianna Atkins; her special village: Lisa Kelly, Yvonne “Boobie” Lawton, Shondra McKinley, Vivian Rutherford, Markus Kilgore, Floyd McGhee, Bronetta Jones, Vanessa Harris, Dr. Jessie Dixon, Florence Gilkesson and Shandra Summerville, her beloved Pastor, Deveraux Hubbard, 1st Lady Kristie Hubbard and the St. Paul Church family, the Simons Mortuary family, and a host of other cousins, relatives and friends who loved her dearly. She was preceded in death by her maternal grandparents, Obadiah “Obie” and Flora "Boots" Nance; her Aunt Mary and Uncle Wilbert Phillips, and Uncle Bennie Ratlieff. Xia’s sweet spirit, beautiful smile and infectious laugh will remain in our hearts forever. She is not just the child of Darlene and Dwight. Xia is ours. Funeral services will be held at 11 am on Saturday, December 13, 2025 at St. Paul Peoria Church with a visitation one-hour prior at 10 am. Pastor Deveraux Hubbard will officiate. Xia will be laid to rest at Historic Springdale Cemetery.

Tributes

Miss Xia Linette Sykes

October 20, 2006 - November 26, 2025