Sylvia Constance "Connie" Phibbs

On Saturday, January 4th Sylvia Constance (Connie) Donkerbrook Phibbs passed peacefully in her sleep, surrounded by her loving family. She was born April 21, 1930 in Detroit to Hilda Jones Donkerbrook and Jack Donkerbrook. Connie married Lee Phibbs in 1949 and together they moved to Fowlerville with their young family in 1964. There was never a dull moment with Connie. She loved her family, her many close friends, her baby pigs on their hobby farm and traveling to new places. She particularly enjoyed helping her son with farm chores and was always up for a ride in his truck. Her children fondly recall her famously bad cooking, a task she considered too boring to master. Connie hated to be left out of the fun, happily participating in most any activity suggested. In her 80s she completed a 5K and zip-lined through the Amazon rain forest. In her 90s she attended the Kentucky Derby, getting up close with the horses, and was part of a family pub crawl through cities in Germany. On a whim Connie was known to ride the penny horse at the grocery store. Her grandchildren's favorite story from Connie's youth is one where she entertained one young man on the front porch while simultaneously entertaining a second on the back porch, running through the house to make sure neither met the other and both received her time.
Connie enjoyed working with young people as a Girl Scout and 4H leader and at Fowlerville High School, filling in where needed, usually in the lunch room, library and study hall. She held several part-time jobs in Fowlerville including at Utter's Clothing Store and Lockwood Insurance. Connie was a 50+ year member of the local ladies group, Families In Focus. She looked forward to her weekly friends' breakfasts at Olden Days Café and monthly club meetings. Connie was dedicated to walking outside in nature and made sure to walk a mile every day around the community park and the village. You may have seen her walking these last few years with the assistance of her upright walker. Up until the end, her sense of humor and love of life remained with her through her adventures shared, funny stories told and the love she showed everyone.
Connie was preceded in death by her husband Lee Phibbs, brothers Jim, Donald and Jack Donkerbrook, and sister Charlotte Stevenson. She is survived by her sister Joyce Means, several nieces and nephews, daughters Candy (Pete) Decker, Sandy (Bob) Lemon, Cindy (Tom) Englehart and son Kevin (Bonnie) Phibbs, 12 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandchild.
Visitation will be at Herrmann Funeral Home, Saturday, January 18th 10 AM until 12 PM, service at 12 PM. A luncheon at the VFW Hall will follow. In lieu of flowers, a donation may be made to the "Phibbs Family Good Kid Scholarship Fund" in Connie's name.
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