Sylvia Kratzke, Buffalo, New York, has an AAS from Erie Community College, attended the University of Buffalo, and has worked for 24 years as a respiratory therapist in the Buffalo area. Mrs. Kratzke is the mother of fallen firefighter Heather J. DePaolo-Johnny, who died in an engine rollover (Stanza Fire, Klamath National Forest) in July, 2002. Sylvia has volunteered for the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation since 2004 working with the Survivors Network, Speaker's Bureau, and participates in Taking Care of Our Own® programs.

Sylvia also volunteers her time with the Wildland Firefighters Foundation (WFFF) as part of their Survivors Network, and has written several articles for the WFFF's column in Wildland Firefighter Magazine. In addition, she was interviewed and taped for inclusion in a safety video for incoming wildland firefighters on Situational Awareness at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho.

She resides in Amherst, New York with her husband Leonard. Her son, Jeremey DePaolo, resides with his wife in the Buffalo area.