Phyllis Lucas

1934 - 2024

Phyllis Lucas
12/14/1934 - 09/04/2024
Phyllis Anne Johnson was born on December 14, 1934 in San Francisco, a fifth generation Californian, and the first child of Max and Mary Johnson. When she was very young, she moved to Stockton with her parents while her father completed his degree at the College of the Pacific.
In 1936, Phyllis returned with her family to their hometown of Sonoma where her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins lived. Her father was hired as the music teacher at both Sonoma High School and Sonoma Grammar School. Her brother, Lee, was born when she was 3 1/2 years old.
Phyllis attended Sonoma Grammar School, and kept busy with Camp Fire, dance lessons, and Catechism classes. Summers were spent on her mother's family ranch picking prunes in the morning and swimming with her cousins in the afternoon.
Phyllis started high school at Sonoma Valley Union High School, but moved to Petaluma during her sophomore year when her father took a job teaching music in the Petaluma City Schools. She graduated from Petaluma Senior High School where she played the clarinet in the school band, was the Snowball Queen of the winter dance, and was Senior Class Secretary.
In the fall of 1952, Phyllis began college at San Jose State College to pursue a career in education. She loved her college years and being a member of the Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. During her sophomore year she met her future husband Richard Lucas who was attending Santa Clara University. In 1956, she graduated with distinction from San Jose State, and took a position teaching first grade at Laurel School in Menlo Park.
Phyllis married Frank Richard (Dick) Lucas on August 8, 1959. They welcomed their first child Jennifer in 1960, while Dick was finishing law school. Their second daughter, Sarah, was born in Sacramento where the family had moved for Dick's first job.
In 1963, Phyllis, Dick and daughters moved to Solano County, an area that would be their home for many years. They first lived in Fairfield, where their son Matthew was born in 1965. In 1970, the family moved to Green Valley. During the years the children were in school, Phyllis was very active in the community. She served on the Solano County Grand Jury, was the president of the Lawyer's Wives Association, gave courthouse tours to students, and was a member of the Intercommunity Hospital Guild and Board. She also assisted in her children's classrooms and volunteered as a Camp Fire Girls leader, a Girl Scout Leader, Cub Scout Den Mother, 4-H leader and Catechism teacher.
In 1980, after a 20-year hiatus, Phyllis returned to teaching. She taught for 15 more years at Suisun Valley School, retiring in 1995. She taught second through fifth grades and trained many student teachers.
Phyllis saw her three children graduate from college and start families. Phyllis became a grandmother in 1991, eventually having eight grandchildren. When her grandchildren were young they loved going to Grammy and Grumpy's house for family gatherings, to swim in the pool, and read the books Grammy had saved for them. Phyllis maintained close relationships with her grandchildren, and as they got older, they continued to be frequent visitors.
Phyllis loved entertaining family and friends. She enjoyed trips to San Francisco where she had season tickets to the Opera for more than 30 years. She loved to needlepoint and created intricate needlepoint pillows and Christmas stockings. She was an avid reader and loved learning about history. Dick and Phyllis enjoyed travel and together visited at least 18 countries on four continents.
Phyllis will be remembered for her kindness and generosity, her sense of humor, her keen interest in everyone she met, her unfailing memory, and her strength and tenacity during her nearly twenty years of living with Guillain–Barré syndrome.
Phyllis is survived by her children, Jennifer Young and her husband John Matcovich, Sarah Lucas, and Matthew Lucas and his wife Amanda Lucas, and her grandchildren, Cecelia Young, Freddy Young, Lucy Young, Luke Sturges, Nathan Sturges, Ryan Lucas and Will Lucas. She is predeceased by her husband Dick Lucas, her brother Lee Johnson, her grandson Andrew Lucas, and her son-in-law Peter Sturges.
A funeral Mass will be held for Phyllis at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Fairfield on September 18, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to NorthBay Hospice.
Arrangements entrusted to Bryan-Braker Funeral Home, (707) 425-4697.