Phyllis J. Ims

Phyllis Ims (DeFino), aged 82, passed away on March 29th, 2024, at Villa Marie Claire Hospice.
Born on July 19, 1941, she was the daughter of Edgar DeFino (affectionately known as Mr.Wyckoff) and Angelina (Russo) DeFino, both long-term residents of Wyckoff. Phyllis graduated from the first Ramapo High School graduating class in 1959, where she forged lifelong friendships and remained actively involved with her classmates. She earned a degree in Teaching from Rutgers University and graduated from Bloomfield College of Montclair State University in 1964.
Phyllis balanced raising her three beloved children, Michele, Ted, and Tracey, while serving part-time on the Mahwah sewer authority board. However, her appointment as the Wyckoff
Motor Vehicle agent by Governor Brendan Byrne in 1977 solidified her legacy of service. Phyllis held this position for 35 years, becoming one of the longest-serving Motor Vehicle Agents in
NJ's history. Her commitment to customer care earned her the endorsement of nine different New Jersey governors, transcending partisan lines and cementing her commitment to the
community. She retired at 70 from NJDMV. Phyllis traveled up and down the east coast with the Horseless Carriage Car Club (antique cars) all while dealing with health issues. She faced adversity with remarkable resilience, bravely overcoming breast cancer five times and lung cancer once. Phyllis will be remembered for her boundless optimism and her remarkable resilience in the face of adversity.
Phyllis is survived by her three children Michele Moore of (Stroudsburg PA) and her children Joseph and Jack, her son Ted Ims of Horsham, PA and his daughters, Christina and Olivia and daughter Tracey and husband Tony Klepic and their children Anthony and Catherine. She is also survived by her brother, Frank DeFino and his wife Dale of Franklin Lakes, and nephew Adam
DeFino and wife Laura of Wyckoff, and niece Randi Bauernshub and husband Brad of PA.
Visitation will be held from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm on Friday, April 19, 2024, followed by funeral services at 12:00 pm at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, 257 Godwin Avenue, Wyckoff.
Please send flowers the evening before services or in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Wyckoff Volunteer Ambulance Corp., P.O. Box 214, Wyckoff, NJ 07481, or to the American Cancer Society Action Network online for Phyllis Ims https://acscan.donordrive.com/participant/Ims
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