Phyllis Cramer

1929 - 2016

Phyllis, 86, died with family by her side October 13, 2016, at St. Margaret Hospital in Pittsburgh, PA of heart failure and septic shock. She was born at home to Charles and Helen Marschall on November 29, 1929, in Kenilworth, IL where she and her sister Charleen grew up. Phyllis graduated from New Trier High School, Winnetka, IL. In 1947 she married Arthur Hale Curtis, Jr. They had three children. In 1960 Arthur was killed in a car crash which injured Phyllis. This affected her mobility but not her spirit nor courage. In July 1968 she met Thomas D. Cramer a widower raising his three children. Phyllis and Tom married in October 1968. The new family often referred to itself as "The Brady Bunch" and as "Yours, Mine and Ours" with the addition of daughter Dana in December 1969. Phyllis was a career mom who loved her family. She enjoyed travel and Junior League, transcribed for the blind and with her sister managed family farming interests in Iowa. She was an avid reader, accomplished at needlepoint and a great gardener. She enjoyed family ski and horseback riding vacations. She was generous, candid, kind, thankful, and had a terrific sense of humor. She faced life's challenges with grace. Phyllis is preceded in death by her parents, her sister Charleen Ball, and son-in-law Todd Copeland. She is survived by her husband Thomas; seven children and spouses, Arthur (Terry) Curtis III, Lauren Curtis M.D., Peter (Eileen) Curtis, Carolyn (Scott) Sanford, Cynthia (Steve) Lackey, Larry (Joann) Cramer, Dana Copeland; and ten grandchildren, Kim Coleman, Susan and Lauren Copeland, Elizabeth and Meridith Lackey, Scott, Tom and Caroline Sanford. A memorial service will take place February 11, 2017 at Christ Church in Fox Chapel, PA. Donations may be made to www.hazeldenbettyford.org/donate, www.arthritis.org or a charity of your choice.