Phyllis Blunt

Having lived a life filled with music, an abiding love for her family and dear friends, joys and challenges, and constant devotion to the needs and wants of those around her, Phyllis Ann Stormont Blunt, 81, a resident of Brevard, was released from the pain of mounting health issues on December 23, 2023, following a brief period of hospitalization at Mission Hospital in Asheville.
Born on April 10, 1942 in Waterbury, Connecticut, Phyllis was the daughter of the late Elizabeth Louise Rudolph Vallone and Edward Joseph Vallone. Following her parents' separation, Phyllis and her mother moved to Rockford, Illinois to be near the Rudolph family, and in 1949, Elizabeth married James Roderick Stormont, the man who would truly be Phyllis's father, steadfast to her through Elizabeth's sudden death in 1975 until his own passing in 2004.
Phyllis's childhood in Rockford was shaped by hours playing with her Stormont cousins and the children in her neighborhood, including Cindy Loy Longnecker, who would remain one of Phyllis's lifelong best friends and confidantes. During these years, Phyllis developed an especially close, loving relationship with her maternal grandparents. Grandfather Charles Rudolph taught Phyllis to write cursive before entering kindergarten (and her pristine penmanship marveled her children throughout their lives), and grandmother Susan Mullen Rudolph played countless games with her and escorted her to weekend movies. The relationship with her grandparents would serve as the model for the kind of grandparent that Phyllis would become to her seven grandchildren.
As a student at East Rockford High School, Phyllis excelled academically, discovered her love of singing, acting, and dancing (her turn as Nellie Forbush in "South Pacific" was the role-defining performance, according to family lore), and garnered awards as editor of the school's yearbook. She graduated in 1960 and attended DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana to study English Composition and Sociology.
It was at DePauw that Phyllis joined Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority and became a member of The Collegians, with which she traveled across Europe and North Africa in summer 1961 as part of a USO tour. Thanks to an uncharacteristic, but provident, lapse in punctuality, Phyllis arrived late to her Old Testament class. The sole empty chair was next to the one occupied by Dan "Crazy Legs" Blunt, whose sense of humor impressed Phyllis far more than his ability on the football field.
Phyllis and Dan wed on July 27, 1963 and settled in his hometown of Canfield, Ohio, where their three children, Steve, Dana, and Brad, would be born. As the family grew, Phyllis returned to school and completed her undergraduate degree in Sociology at Youngstown State University in 1966. Phyllis and Dan moved the family to St. Charles, Illinois in 1977, and Phyllis began work as the activities director of Pine View Care Center. With thoughtfulness, creativity, and energy, Phyllis organized memorable events, large and small, with careful attention to details that she knew would help residents to fondly recall their younger days. Phyllis continued to use her beautiful singing voice as a member of the choir of Fox Valley Presbyterian Church, and if she was not singing or attending one of her children's performances or games, she could be found with Dan at bridge club or having adventures with their intrepid group of friends, the Fun Seekers.
When their nest emptied in 1992, Phyllis and Dan detached from their midwestern roots and ventured to the mountains of Western North Carolina. Brevard quickly became home, offering friendship and community. Phyllis worked for ten years at SAFE, Inc. of Transylvania County and served in a number of volunteer roles at The Children's Center, Sharing House, and Brevard First United Methodist Church. She also enjoyed arts and crafts, playing bridge, hosting gatherings of friends and families, and, more than all, keeping up with her grandchildren, whom she adored: Ethan Bixby and spouse Autumn Simpson, Laurin Bixby and spouse Nicholas Torres, and Andrew Bixby; Mary Katherine Blunt and spouse Peter Krieg; and Jonah Blunt, Sophia Blunt, and Aiden Stonebarger.
Predeceased by her husband, Dan, Phyllis is survived by son Steve Blunt and wife, Sheila, of Nashua, NH; daughter Dana Blunt-Bixby and husband, Todd, of Greencastle, PA; and son Brad Blunt and wife, Marla Sanders, of Houston, TX. Surviving brothers- and sisters-in-law are: Kerry Sue and Dick Purselle, Marty and Joseph Carrier, and Gail Blunt, widow of Charles H. Blunt. She is also predeceased by a cousin, Barbara Kuhn. She will be missed by numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Following Dan's death in 2016, throughout the pandemic, and during her more recent health struggles, so many members of the Brevard community cared for and assisted Phyllis in myriad ways. Phyllis's children are deeply grateful to everyone, especially their aunts and uncles and her cherished friend Roberta Hallinen, who gave their time and love to make her days better.
A celebration of Phyllis's life will be held at Saturday, April 6, 2024, at 2 PM at Brevard First United Methodist Church, 325 N. Broad St., Brevard, NC 28712.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Sharing House, P.O. Box 958, Brevard, NC 28712 or https://www.sharinghouse.org/, or to Brevard First United Methodist Church, 325 N. Broad St., Brevard, NC 28712 or https://brevardfumc.org/.
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