Phyllis Gault

1922 - 2017

Phyllis Brown Gault
1922-2017
Phyllis Brown Gault passed away peacefully on December 14, 2017, at the age of 95. She was born on April 10, 1922, in Orangeville, Texas, and grew up during the Great Depression on a nearby farm settled by her family in 1855. She attended elementary school in a three-room schoolhouse, and graduated from Whitewright High School. She earned a Bachelor's Degree from Texas State College for Women (later Texas Women's University) in Denton, where she majored in home economics with a minor in science.
Upon graduating in 1942, Phyllis became a teacher, first in Canton, Texas, and later in Dallas. With the outbreak of World War II, she was recruited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture to work in Indianapolis, Indiana, where she served as an inspector of food and agricultural products purchased for the armed forces. While in Indianapolis, she met her husband of more than 65 years, Wayne C. Gault of North Jackson, Ohio, and they were married in 1944. After the war, Wayne went to work for the railroad, which took the couple to Kansas City, Missouri; El Reno, Oklahoma; Dallas and ultimately Houston.
In Dallas, Phyllis worked as a home economics teacher at Southern Methodist University while raising three children, serving as a Cub Scout den mother and participating in church and community activities. In 1961, the family moved to Houston, where Wayne took a position as an executive with the Houston Belt and Terminal Railroad.
With her engaging and outgoing personality, Phyllis was loved by many and gave generously of her time and talents. She was a loyal and devoted member of Saint Paul Presbyterian Church for more than 55 Years, working in numerous volunteer capacities. She was a long-time member of the Houston Women of Rotary Club, serving in many leadership positions including president; a member and officer of the Houston Camellia Society; president of the Houston Engineering & Science Society, and chair of its scholarship committee; and served in various leadership roles in the Houston home economics organization HAHEHC. She also was active in the Texas Women's University alumni group, and was a local officer and role model for other TWU graduates. In 2002, she was honored by Governor Rick Perry as a "Yellow Rose of Texas."
Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband Wayne; parents Tom Watson and Bertha Pruitt Brown; sister Mary Ellen Nall; and brother Thomas Brown. She is survived by her son Jeff and wife Rose Gault; daughter Alice and husband William Gamble; son Roger and wife Marena; grandchildren John Gault, Jacqueline Godefroy, Claire Gault, Christine and Catherine Gamble, Marielle and William Lemasters; great-grandchildren Josie Matheson, Connor Hickenbottom; and great-great-grandson River Matheson.
The family would like to give special thanks to the caregivers of Temporary Home Care for their compassionate care during Phyllis' last days.
A Celebration of Phyllis' life will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2018, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew's Presbyterian Church, 5308 Buffalo Speedway, Houston, Texas 77005. Condolences may be offered at www.millerfuneral.com