Phyllis Esleeck Host

PORTSMOUTH– Phyllis Loraine Esleeck Host, 97, a native of Portsmouth, passed away peacefully at home on October 27, 2017. Phyllis was a beloved mother, mother-in-law, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother best known for loving with all her heart, and forgiving all sins. To her family and many friends, she was a special mix of care, thoughtfulness, generosity, and fun, with a wonderful sense of humor that often sparkled in surprising ways. In her later years she spent much of her time enjoying family and friends, having lunch dates with her girlfriends, supporting Port Norfolk Baptist Church, tackling the daily crossword puzzle, baking her famous Indian Nut Cookies, reading steamy romance novels, watching sports on TV (she at times appeared to have crushes on Tiger Woods, Rafael Nadal, and most recently, Cam Newton), and fulfilling her lifelong commitment to never learning how to drive a car. Phyllis enjoyed a long civil service career with the Army Corps of Engineers in Norfolk. Many years after her retirement she still spoke of how highly she valued her friends at work and how much she appreciated that, over her entire career, her co-workers were always kind enough to drive her to work in Norfolk every single day.
Phyllis was preceded in death by the love of her life, her husband Percy Lee (Mike) Host, Jr., and her five brothers and sisters, Calvert, Richard, Robert, Annie, and Katherine. Left behind to cherish her memory are her son Mike Host and his wife Pat; granddaughters Kelly Parsons (Greg), Mallory Edwards, Ainsley Jarriel (Jeremiah), and Kinsey Chilcutt (Chris); and three great granddaughters, Avery Bowen, Miah Jarriel, and Kora Jarriel. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, and an estimated one million cousins, as Phyllis never knew a cousin who was too distantly related to be "claimed" as a member of the family. Our greatest hope is that today she is reunited in heaven with her husband, her siblings, and the many cousins and other loved ones who went before her.
Phyllis would want to extend special thanks to her great friend Betty Buchanan, and the Stanek and Topping families, for all they did for her after she lost Mike, and of course to her hairdresser Kathy Rogerson for the beauty shop visits that always made her day. Special thanks also to Dr. Kevin Wilson, and her caregivers Gaynette Floyd and Delphine Smith, for the loving care they gave her as she approached the end.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday Oct. 31, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Foster Funeral Home, Portsmouth. A graveside funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM, Wednesday Nov. 1 at Olive Branch Cemetery, conducted by the Rev. Terry Taylor. Memorial donations may be made to Port Norfolk Baptist Church, 401 Broad St., Portsmouth. Condolences may be registered at BWFosterFuneralHome.com.