Phyllis Trabusiner

1949 - 2023

Phyllis Trabusiner
September 13, 1949 - September 12, 2023
Richland, Washington - Phyllis Diane (Bergsman) Trabusiner of Richland WA passed away unexpectedly just one day short of her 74th birthday from complications of pneumonia. She passed peacefully surrounded by her loved ones.
Phyllis, a resident of the Tri-Cities for over 30 years, was born September 13th 1949 to Esther Levine and Donald Bergsman in Detroit, Michigan. She was the middle child of three and the only daughter. She had an older brother (Marc) and young brother (Ken) and she remained close to them in adulthood. She was an incredibly smart and ambitious young woman with a passion, even at an early age, for teaching and educating. She loved English literature and poetry.
She graduated from Cass Technical High School in 1967 and received a Bachelors and Masters Degree in English (1971, 1972) from the University of Michigan (go blue!). She took pride in creating unique and progressive courses to challenge normal stereotypes for women in her era. She taught high school English in Michigan for 4 years then decided to escape the snow and cold and moved south to Florida in 1976. There she met and married the love of her life, Peter Trabusiner in 1983. It was a whirlwind romance, and they got married only 6 short months after they first met. They were the perfect pair, the yin to their yang, their faults complimenting their strengths. They remained faithfully married until her death on September 12th 2023.
Phyllis encouraged the move to Tri-Cities to be closer to her younger brother and their children. She taught at Richland High School then transferred to Pasco High School where she continued until her retirement. She was remembered as the "cool" teacher and maintained lifelong relationships with many of her former students (from Michigan, to Florida, to Pasco).
While her passion for education was strong, her greatest joy was becoming a mother in 1989, with the adoption of her daughter, Corinne (Trabusiner) Dolan. She treasured every second of her daughter's childhood and she exuded true unconditional love.
She had a passionate love for roses and won many Rose Competitions in the area. She was also a creative soul and had a gift for writing, painting, and crafting cards. She was intelligent, spunky, funny, compassionate, caring, and fiercely loving and she will be deeply missed.
Phyllis is preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Esther Bergsman, and her brother, Marc Bergsman.
Phyllis is survived by her husband, Peter; daughter, Corinne Dolan and son-in-law, Marcus Dolan; her grandsons Jameson and Kellen Dolan; her stepchildren Hansi Trabusiner and Birgit Kreil; her brother and sister-in-law Ken and Theresa Bergsman; sister-in-law, Binky Bergsman, and various nieces and nephews whom she loved dearly.
A celebration of life is planned for September 30th, 2pm at Hillspring Church, 1153 Gage Boulevard, Richland, WA.