Menu
Search by Name
Search by Name
Phyllis Gendvilas Obituary
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Phyllis Gendvilas
Linley Morris
June 26, 2008
I worked with Phyllis at Creighton Children's Center for 20 years. As teachers we did more than just teach. We were responsible for the cleaning of toys and furniture. Every August before the new school year we would scrub all the furniture and the chairs. Phyllis would get out her spray bottle of Zoom (Amway product she sold), a rag and then out of her pocket she would pull an old worn out Toothbrush and start scrubbing. We would look at her and say "Phyllis, we have 15 chairs to clean we can't scrub all of them with a toothbrush" and her response was "It's the only way to get all the crud out of all the crevices" and then she continued her work. I will never look at an old toothbrush or clean those chairs without thinking of my dear, dear Phyllis. Rest in Peace you deserve it!
Love, Linley
Pat Claus
June 24, 2008
This is a card from the Memorial Board at the funeral that was OK to post on this website - Tony (son)
Dear "Sister",
I will still be talking to you every day as we have done over the last 50 years. I will remember our times with eating ice cream - you'd laugh at 50 flavors - I still took vanilla.
You are with our Lord and I will be happy about that!
All my Love,
Pat
The Blakely Family
June 24, 2008
This is a card from the Memorial Board at the funeral that was OK to post on this website - Tony (son)
We have known Phyllis as long as she was in the church. What a wonderful service she did for Shepherd. My grandchildren and great grandchildren loved her.
She held them and rocked them. She was my friend. I talked to her around Christmas and she told me how great it was to take care of her grandson. We will miss her!
Trudy .
June 24, 2008
This is a card from the Memorial Board at the funeral that was OK to post on this website - Tony (son)
In 1989 the church campus was all spruced up for a new minister and his family. Everything looked great except a chair in the nursery that Phylllis used to comfort and love her babies. It was so worn and dark. I made a new slip cover and this wonderful generous person was so grateful she never stopped saying thank you! What a blessing she was.
Brittany & Phyllis in 2006
June 23, 2008
This is a card from the Memorial Board at the funeral that was OK to post on this website - Kathryn (daughter)
My Best memory is when Phyllis became Godmother to my Daughter Shawn, three children, Bradley, Chris, and Brittany. The picture is of Brittany and Phyllis in 2006.
Ethel A Bump
June 23, 2008
This is a card from the Memorial Board at the funeral that was OK to post on this website - Kathryn (daughter)
Dear Phyllis,
"I will not weep for the loss....
I shall smile for the gift!"
Via con Dios dear lady.
With love,
Barbara Gormley
Rachel Bishop
June 22, 2008
I have known Phyllis for my entire life. She had a special friendship with my mother Kathy Bishop and helped to raise me in the Shepherd family. I grew up in the nursery under her care along with my siblings and Karin and Lauren Baard. I have a comical photo of me sitting in Phyllis' lap at 6 months old trying to pull her hair out! Phyllis ran a "babysitting bootcamp" for Karin and me. She taught us everything we know from how to burp a baby to (gasp) how to change diapers! I have been babysitting at Shepherd for 6 or 7 years now. The image of Phyllis that will forever remain in my mind is of her sitting in the nursery on the table with a small child, or two, in her lap. I will miss hearing her refer to Karin and I as "her girls." My thoughts and prayers are with all of her family and friends. I am blessed to have known her!
Paul Gendvilas
June 22, 2008
This was My Words to My Mother at the Service,
My Dear Friends and Family,
Today is a Day Our Lord has made , Let Us REJOYCE and Be GLAD in IT !
Today June 18th We Celebrate the Life on Earth of My Mother - Phyllis Gendvilas 12-21-1931 / 06-04-2008
Today is Definetly a Time to Rejoyce & not Morn, for My Mother has been since June 4th in Heaven with Our Father God & Lord Jesus Christ. We Celebrate because I know in my heart that she had a Relationship with Jesus. Although she did not go to church services regularly because she took care of the babies in the nursery, I had many talks with her and she said she accepted Jesus in her heart as a little girl. Knowing this by Our Faith We should and Do Believe she is and will be in Heaven for Ever. As it is written in John 3:16 " For God So Loved the World that He Gave His Only Begotton Son, so that Whosoever Would BELIEVE IN HIM Would NOT Perish but Have Everlasting Life !"
My Mother was an AMAZING Woman!! She had 4 children, actually 5 if you include my dad, plus All the children she helped raise through Her Ministery in the Nursery at Church. Her Talents were Many as a House Wife & Mother. Her Always SELFLESS Attitude putting others needs before her own. Through the years Her Many Physical problems. not once did I hear Her complain. She was Always there when I needed Her. She Always had Great Morals & Values she passed on to All.
So Today We Rejoyce for We Know She is in Heaven. Having a Relationship with Jesus I / We Know and Believe we Will see Her again. We have not Lost Our Mother / Friend " Phyllis Mabel Gendvilas" she is just waiting with Our Father & Lord Jesus Christ in Heaven for Us to come and Be Together FOREVER !!
I Love You Mom, You are Missed but not Forgotten!
Thank You for All You did for Me and everyone else.
See Ya One Day.
Your Son , Paul
Kathryn (Daughter)
June 20, 2008
This was a special part of the Funeral Service for my mom when Steve Davis read this poem he wrote for my mom when she retired from the nursery at the church.
(I was able to scan it in with character recognition - got to love technology)
A POEM IN THE SPIRIT OF Dr. Seuss
Once there was, upon a time,
Oh dear, oh my, I hope this will rhyme...
You see, when you have a name like "Phyllis"
not much matches except... why sure ... Gendvilas!
How handy these names
For one who loves games
Who cares for our children
Linda, Stacey, and James.
And Lauren and Kelsey and Kevin and Mitchell,
Jennifer and Lisa and Michael Allen Twitchell.
And Lucy and Lynn and Jared and Sam,
Oh my, oh my, how weary I am
to think of all the little one's she's diapered
and all the cute noses she's helped blow and wipered.
She's read many a story, two thousand and two
And new math or not, that means quite a few.
She's put away blocks
And help pull up socks
She's combed Jimmy's hair
And brushed Karen's locks.
If children are the way, like our dear Jesus says
To the Kingdom to which we all want to say, "Yes!"
Then Phyllis is surely the Kingdom's good shepherd
And thanks to her not one child is jeopard---
Oops, that last word is short, I left off the "ized"
Which rhymes with her being the apple of God's eyes.
Oh Phyllis Gendvilas,
Your name's hard to rhyme
But how easy it is for us to take time
To say thanks for so serving the God up above you
We honor your life's calling, and let's all say,
'WE LOVE YOU!!!!!"
Written by Steven L Davis
.
N. K. Splain
June 20, 2008
Phyllis nurtured all three of our children, as she did so very many others. And she nurtured their parents as well. With gratitude for a life of grace, well-lived.
The Edward Splain Family
Sally and Ellis Shackelford
June 20, 2008
We are so sorry we missed Phyllis's Memorial Service. Please know that you are all in our prayers for God's comfort and caring. Phyllis has been a great friend for many years at Shepherd. She was such a warm caring person and her love for children was evident in so many ways. Know that God has her tightly wrapped in his arms.
Tony Gendvilas
June 19, 2008
This is the eulogy I gave at the memorial service:
I am Tony Gendvilas, the 2nd in line of the three boys, the ‘well adjusted’ middle child. I am sad knowing that I won’t be able to touch my mom’s hand or to give her a hug until I see her again in heaven, but I am so glad for this day that we all come together to remember how my mother, Phyllis Gendvilas, Mrs. G touched the lives of many and we can celebrate her life of encouraging others and investing in their lives so consistently throughout the years. We are thankful for the gifts of her life and how they added so much to our lives.
An early memory I have of Mom was when she made identical hand made shirts for each of the boys. Then she sat us on a bench squished tightly together to get the perfect picture for the photo album. She was meticulous about recording the significant events over the years into our baby books and the school year books. I was reading my school years book and she even recorded the date that I first I needed to shave my face!
Mom gave us the gift of good memories.
Mom encouraged each of us to learn to read music and play instruments growing up. There was a time she got the music so we could play together in a family mini band. One song we played the theme song from the Tijuana Brass. Mom occasionally picked up the violin and would very briefly show us she knew how to play herself. I think the first instrument we learned on was an electric organ which had an interesting sound to it. Then Mom desired us to have a piano to play on so with the help of Dad secured a very exclusive and very antique upright piano that was placed strategically OUTSIDE on the patio. It was such a ‘special’ piano that it had some kind of a ‘rinky tink’ feature to it that made it sound like it came out of a western saloon. Fur Elise never sounded sooo good??? This was a delight to our neighbors I’m sure! Occasionally Mom would sing along as we were playing something and well… Just as we were learning to play let’s say Mom was learning to sing!
Mom gave us the gift of music.
I have great memories of our years in Scouts. Mom would get dressed in her scout uniforms at the Pack meetings. Mom was a Den mother. I remember looking through my Scout Handbook at the kitchen table and Mom would help me strategize which merit badges I could get. She encouraged us all to continue in the Scouting program and because of this encouragement we all learned important life skills and solid values.
Mom taught us about finances and having a budget using the advanced envelope method. She would keep track of every penny in each envelope writing expenses on that category on the outside of the envelope. She even developed a secure method of envelope transfers well before the internet was thought of!
I remember fun times of food with Mom like lunches after church at the smorgasbord, pizza at Red Devil Italian Restaurant, butter and jelly sandwiches. My brother Lee and I weren’t necessarily the healthiest kids on 50th Street so Mom would faithfully read the Prevention magazine and make sure we took awful tasting vitamins and drink things like apple cider vinegar water to make sure we kept those nasty bugs away! She would get Raw Whole Milk from the local health food store. Now years later my family lives on a two acre mini farm in Oregon that sells healthy farm products and promotes nutritional supplements and our major product is Raw Whole Milk from our three Jersey cows.
As I went off to Optometry College in Oregon, I discovered one of Mom’s best gifts to us. There were times when I would need to share special thoughts and experiences with someone who truly cared and would listen. Mom was a great listener! She also was a great connector. She would update me on what everyone in the family was doing. There were even relative that I met on a trip to Iowa when I was very little that Mom would continue to update me on the latest news with them. I felt as if I was part of their lives even though I may not have talked with them for weeks or months. That is something I will greatly miss.
Mom gave us the gift of family connection.
My sister penned our mother’s obituary and she described Mom as having a nurturing spirit and that she did! She always made sure that we were ‘all right’ whether it be physically or emotionally. This nurturing continued throughout her life as she invested in young lives at Shepherd of the Hills and Creighton Methodist Children’s Center.
Thank you Mom for ALL your love and care! Today we celebrate your life with us here on earth. We honor you by passing on to the next generation the gifts of your life you gave to us!
I am looking forward to seeing you again in Heaven!
.
June 19, 2008
This was my Eulogy for the Funeral:
When I was in my teenage years my friends and I had a fun saying which was:
“who do you think you are… my mom?”
This was meant to be a joke of course, and I remember saying this to someone one time and tacking on “oh yea, I guess she is!” I don’t believe that I was a bad kid growing up, but I did want to experience some fun as I got older which I’m sure meant plenty of worry and aggravation for my mom.
My friends and I would talk about a lot of things, and I realized that some of my friends would actually want to listen to my mom, and that some of them probably did since my mom was involved at the school and church as much as she could.
For me, it was difficult to know how good she was growing up because she was always a part of my life, I did not need to go searching for another. I seem to have turned out ok, so I guess she must have been pretty darn good, and I am certainly glad that she was in my life.
Over the years my mom was “mom” to so many people. I have heard stories of how she nurtured people’s kids, and even the parents over the years, and that they are so grateful for her. But now, my mom is gone from the physical world… she will never be lost or forgotten, for she lives in too many hearts around this world who love her dearly, including mine.
Your daughter,
Kathryn
Kathy Snyder
June 19, 2008
When I think of Phyllis, many special memories come to my mind. Phyllis was more than my next door neighbor of 9 years or so...she was a dear friend to me! I remember the talks we would have in our front yards late at night when I was her neighbor and then later after I moved - there were cherished encouraging conversations by phone. I valued all the advise she would give me on parenting and life. She was always genuinely interested in our lives and such a good listener! She always remembered my families birthdays and acknowledged them with loving cards and phone calls. I knew that she genuinely cared about me and my family. She even supported my daughter a few years ago by coming to watch her in a play she was in. She was committed to being a loyal faithful friend. She was committed to her family and her "work" in the same way. We would hear the sound of her VW bus leaving at 7:30 AM every day going to "the center" - a 'job' she loved. She would encourage me as a young mother to buy books for my children telling me that they could never have enough of them and that I was doing a 'wonderful thing' for them by investing in their lives this way - and of course she was right and I do attribute a portion of their good reading skills to her encouragement in this manner. She was a warm strong caring person! I pray that her family is comforted in knowing how much she treasured and loved each and everyone of them - she was so proud of her family and spoke highly of each person in it! One of the last conversations I had with her was about a recent family gathering - maybe last Christmas - where all her family was together - she said it was 'an awesome wonderful time'! May there be comfort in knowing that in Christ - there are no goodbyes and there is no end so we shall see her again...but until then, I will miss you Phyllis...Blessings, peace, and comfort to her family and all who were lucky like I was to count her as a dear friend -
Barb Dales
June 18, 2008
Dear Gendvilas Family,
As friends and neighbors for over 50 years, my family and I would like to extend our deepest sympathies in the death of your Mom. When you were all children we played together between houses and I remember babysitting you all at times. Your Mom was always warm and kind to me and so involved with her family. My Dad and I especially appreciated her attendence, as well as Lee's and Jeremy's, at the "going away party" for my Mom, Ruby Dales. It was a physical hardship for Mrs. Genvilas just to attend, but we thought it was a wonderful gesture of friendship. Your Mom will be missed. I'll bet she and my Mom are visiting together in Heaven right now. They have a lot to catch up on! In sympathy, Barb Dales, Neil Dales, Patti (Dales) Glauner, and Brad Dales
Ronnie Sunderman
June 18, 2008
It was clear to all who were blessed to know Phyllis that her true passion was working with children -- her own children, her grandchildren, her scouts, her nursery children at Shepherd, and her preschool children at Creighton Children's Center where shared her love and talents for over twenty years -- all were loved and valued for their unique gifts. Phyllis will live on in the hearts and memories of the hundreds of children and their families who were touched by Phyllis's own unique gifts. I know she was greeted at Heaven's gates with open arms and the words, "Well done, my good and faithful servant" and I am equally certain that even there she is surrounded by her beloved children. ~~ With much love,
Tony Gendvilas (son #2)
June 18, 2008
Good morning Mom,
This is the day we will celebrate your life. You touched many lives with the gift of love. We want to honor you by passing on these gifts of your life to others. We all miss you. Save a big hug for me when I see you in Heaven!
Susan Mathew
June 17, 2008
Phyllis was the reason we became part of Shepherd of the Hills - she was the first nursery person with whom Marshall felt comfortable. There was never a doubt in my mind that Marshall and Abbey were in loving hands when they were with her in the nursery. We had the added joy of Phyllis' nurturing at Creighton. Phyllis never stopped giving - to children and to the anxious parents. I'm so glad to have known you.
Mary Baard
June 17, 2008
Phyllis helped to welcome our family to Phoenix and Shepherd of the Hills. We are grateful for the loving care she gave to the girls and the ways she helped them to grow. We will miss her.
Mary, Ron, Lauren, & Karin Baard
Susan and Kevin Moran
June 16, 2008
Thank you Phyllis for taking such good care of our children and all of Shepherd's children for so many years. When your little grandson, Jeremy, came along anyone could see how much you loved him. You have been so important in his life I'm sure he
will carry you with him always.
God be with you and your family.
Susan, Kevin,
Darcy and Jared Moran
We Love You Phyllis
Joe, Sherri, Alex and Cassidi Dodgson
June 16, 2008
Phyllis was a great teacher and mentor. I can't ever remember any time at Shepherd without Phyllis. She was there when I was growing up and she was there for my kids. There was no place like a spot on Phyllis' lap. How many kids did she hold over all of those years? She was a leader, comforter, friend and a great person. We will miss you Phyllis!
Sue Spahle
June 16, 2008
Many memories are shared with my boys and their days with Phyllis during choir practice and Sunday school. She really had a huge part of their growing up. As a Mom I will miss her great ideas of child rearing and how things should be done.... I will miss her. You all are in my prayers and I know that the angels are holding her tight.
Blessings
Rory Rainsford
June 16, 2008
I remember her laugh and her smile over the years. She was one of the nicest moms my friends had.
Mary Curtis
June 16, 2008
As a new mother, I had a mentor in Phyllis at the nursery at Shepherd of the Hills church. There wasn't a baby's development stage or illness that she hadn't experienced in raising her own and so many others in the church nursery. As a friend, I taught beside her at church; we shared a love for scouting and for family. Phyllis' life has touched so many and in doing so, she lives on in ways that you can not begin to imagine. My prayers and my sympathy are with you the loved ones of her family. She spoke of you often and dearly!
The Fiorenza Family
June 16, 2008
Always remember the good times and tell your children about them and they will be forever embedded and remembered... Your entire family is in our thoughts and prayers.
Linley Morris
June 16, 2008
You have been an important part of my life for over 30 years. We worked together at the preschool and at the church. We laughed and cried together over the years. You were my confidant, my sounding board and my true friend. I will miss our birthday breakfasts at CoCo's and our dinners at the Big Apple but mostly I will miss our daily talks. You will be in my heart till we meet again in Heaven. Love, Linley
Bonnie Rainsford
June 16, 2008
I have fond memories of visiting you each Sunday at the church nursery. You will be greatly missed.
Wendy Putler
June 16, 2008
My thoughts are with you in your time of grief. May your memories bring you comfort. She was a wonderful lady and she will be missed.
Karen Walsh
June 15, 2008
Celebrating a life well lived. We will cherish the memories forever.
Jay Carey
June 15, 2008
You and your family are in our thoughts and prayers.
The only picture I have ever liked of myself :)
Kathryn Hornbaker (Daughter)
June 15, 2008
Forever a teacher, your presence will be missed by so many, young and old - including me!
I'll truly miss our special calls Mom!
Tony Gendvilas (#2 Son)
June 14, 2008
Celebrating a life well lived. We will cherish the memories forever.
Showing 1 - 32 of 32 results
Make a Donation
in Phyllis Gendvilas's name
Memorial Events
for Phyllis Gendvilas
How to support Phyllis's loved ones
Honor a beloved veteran with a special tribute of ‘Taps’ at the National WWI Memorial in Washington, D.C.
The nightly ceremony in Washington, D.C. will be dedicated in honor of your loved one on the day of your choosing.
Read more
Should I Send Sympathy Flowers?
What kind of arrangement is appropriate, where should you send it, and when should you send an alternative?
Read more
What Should I Write in a Sympathy Card?
We'll help you find the right words to comfort your family member or loved one during this difficult time.
Read moreResources to help you cope with loss
Estate Settlement Guide
If you’re in charge of handling the affairs for a recently deceased loved one, this guide offers a helpful checklist.
Read more
Obituaries, grief & privacy: Legacy’s news editor on NPR podcast
Legacy's Linnea Crowther discusses how families talk about causes of death in the obituaries they write.
Read more
The Five Stages of Grief
They're not a map to follow, but simply a description of what people commonly feel.
Read moreWays to honor Phyllis Gendvilas's life and legacy
Obituary Examples
You may find these well-written obituary examples helpful as you write about your own family.
Read more
Obituary Templates – Customizable Examples and Samples
These free blank templates make writing an obituary faster and easier.
Read more
How Do I Write a Eulogy?
Some basic help and starters when you have to write a tribute to someone you love.
Read more
