Phyllis Elliott

Phyllis Bryan Elliott died October 12, 2014 at the age of 96. Phyllis was born to Arthur A. and Jesse (Miller) Bryan on March 25, 1918 in San Antonio, Texas. At the age of 2, her father gave up the hard farming life there and moved the family to Ames, IA where he worked the rest of his life in corn genetics research. Always a good student, Phyllis went on after high school to attend Iowa State College in Ames. She lost her father during college. She earned a degree in Home Economics, graduating in June 1940. During the next year, while living and working in Marshalltown, Phyllis met George Elliott. She married George on June 19, 1941, in a lovely early morning ceremony in the Rose Garden on the campus of the University. George and Phyllis celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary three years ago here in Colby. The next three years George served with army units in several locations in the south. Nancy, the first daughter, was born in Louisiana. When George was deployed to Europe, Phyllis and the baby returned to Ames where she taught at the college. In 1947, with George returned from occupied Germany, she followed him to various homes in Newton, IA, Denver, CO, Columbia, MO, and finally in Albuquerque, NM where they settled until 1975 in the home George built. Above all, Phyllis was a homemaker and mother to her three daughters. She kept an immaculate house, sewed and tailored clothes for every member of the family, kept the girls in hand-knit sweaters, hosted parties for friends, helped in the various hobbies George took on, including running a picture-framing business and refinishing many antique spool chests and clocks she and George collected. In 1975, she and George moved to Colby, KS for “retirement.” Of course, neither George nor Phyllis actually retired for many more years. She worked as a Librarian at the Colby Community College until 1984. She also assisted in the interior finishing and furnishing of the solar home they build at 955 Prairie View Dr. Phyllis was active in the Western Plains Art Association, serving a president for two years. She also loved Shakespeare Club, claiming near perfect attendance for many years. She was also active in the Methodist Women group in town. Phyllis lived only another six months after the George’s death. She’d fulfilled her long-lived purpose to take care of husband, home and family, and passed peacefully on to join him in their next adventure. Survivors include three daughters, Nancy LePell of Colby, KS, Susan Elliott-Bryan of Cedar Rapids, IA, and Georgia Newkirk of Lake Dallas, TX; there are 4 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at Colby United Methodist Church on Saturday, October 18 at 2:00 pm. Memorial donations can be made to Colby United Methodist Church or the American Cancer Society.