Phyllis Carole Klein

October 24, 1937 - November 10, 2025 Phyllis Klein was born on October 24, 1937 in Brooklyn, NY to parents Mollie and Ben Klein. She proudly attended James Madison High School and Brooklyn College. Seduced by the promise of fruit trees and mild winters, she and her husband, Stuart, moved to Los Angeles in 1961 to start their family.

Phyllis adored small children. When her young son began preschool, she accompanied him as a new teacher to Palms-Westminster United Presbyterian Church preschool. Later, in 1978, she earned her Master's degree in Early Childhood Education at Loyola Marymount University and focused her passion on creating Circle of Children Preschool in Santa Monica, CA. There, for the next 25 years, she worked tirelessly to create a community of families, built around a safe place for children to learn and grow. Phyllis eventually mentored Michelle Gathrid to whom she entrusted Circle. Michelle fulfilled her wish that the school continue to be a safe and loving place where teachers Phyllis trained continue to work to this day.

In 1978, Phyllis also devoted her energies to helping resettle Vietnamese refugees arriving in Los Angeles. Through her involvement in the Vietnamese Refugee Aid Committee (VRAC) at UCLA, she made lifelong friends and, among those, gained another daughter of sorts, Diep Kadlek. Following her retirement, Phyllis continued her advocacy for children and doted on her four grandchildren. She also found a vibrant community of friends at (then) Fountainview Senior Living Community with whom she enjoyed sharing meals, theater, mahjong, and canasta.

Phyllis is survived by her children, Ilene Simon Solomon (Keith) and Jeffrey Simon; her grandchildren, Jason, Kayla, Aaron, and Alexia; her magnificent caregiver, Lea; her sorority of best friends at Avocet; her sister Sue Ellen and nieces Cindy and Bonnie; Paul and the cousins club, and her cat, Bijoux.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the charities most important to her, Venice Family Clinic, and Allies for Every Child.