Phyllis Healey

Phyllis Margery (Kuklish) Healey passed peacefully on July 7, 2017, in West Hills, CA.  She is lovingly remembered by her family and friends for her caring nature, an active sense of humor, great cooking and a firm, pragmatic approach to life.
Born in Minneapolis, MN, Phyllis and her family moved early on to central Nebraska where she and her two brothers and two sisters grew up in the hard-working honesty of the Great American Midwest.  After high school, “Cookie” moved to Chicago and attended nursing school.  Shortly after World War II, she met Gerald (Jerry) Healey, marrying him in 1946.  They remained together to the very end - over 70 years.
Jerry’s work had them move to San Francisco in 1953.  They had two sons, Tim and Patrick, who flourished under her guidance growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Phyllis also lovingly served as a Foster Mom in the 1950s to help babies in need get a good start in life.  As her own sons moved through middle school and beyond, she rejoined the workforce with Capwell’s where she worked for over fifteen years as a salesperson and executive secretary.
Phyllis also picked up the game of golf, where her natural athleticism earned her a memorable hole-in-one; something that Jerry was never able to equal.  This became a great source of amusement to family and friends for many years.
Phyllis and Jerry elected to retire to the ‘green pastures’ of Saint George, Utah, in 1990, to enjoy golf and life after over 40 years of ‘the daily grind’.   This also gave her time to enjoy cooking and baking – for which she earned great renown – and entertaining family and friends.  Along with Jerry, Phyllis spent many a rewarding day volunteering for a wide array of public service events through the Dixie Chapter of the Elks Lodge.  This activity brought them great joy and a sense of ‘giving back’ to the community.  Her presence and participation was substantial, earning her Lady Elk of the Year honors in 2000.
Alas, Jerry passed away late in 2016.  Strong to the very end, Phyllis continued to be supported and comforted by her son Patrick, of Lake Balboa, CA.  This caring and support was shared by son Tim and daughter-in-law Paula of West Hartford, CT; grandson Jonathan and his wife Colleen and great grandchildren Parker and Graham in Washington, DC; granddaughter Kristen and her husband Peter and great grandson Bennett of Silver Spring, MD.  Phyllis is also survived by her sister, Lois, of Columbus, NE.  Jeff Baughman of Los Angeles, CA and Cathy and Tony Colón of West Hills, CA, were also part of her Southern California family.
In honoring her request, there will not be a memorial service.  Instead, Phyllis wished for support to be provided to the American Cancer Society (www.cancer.org), the American Diabetes Association (www.diabetes.org) and/or the Elks National Foundation (www.elks.org/enf).