Phyllis June Mather

PHYLLIS JUNE MATHER July 4, 1932 ~ June 28, 2011 Phyllis June Mather was born on July 4, 1932 in Seymour, MO. She passed away at home in Vancouver, WA, surrounded by family, on June 28, 2011. She is survived by her husband, Oscar; sons, Rick (Kati) and Randy (Mary); grandchildren, Michelle Halfhill (Bobby) and Clint Mather, Julie, Valerie and Jeff Mather, Heather Christy, Roger and Billy Armstrong; great-grandchildren, Luke Halfhill, Mason Mather, Kenadie Christy, James and Lilly Armstrong. She was preceded in death by her youngest son, Ron; her parents, George and Nola Davis; and siblings, Juanita, Norman, Billy, Jimmy, Patsy and Larry. Family and friends are invited to a memorial gathering at the home of Phyllis and Oscar on Sat., July 2nd from 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Phyllis and Oscar's life together began when they met in the 9th grade, when Oscar and a friend needed a third person for a classroom project. Oscar suggested picking the prettiest girl in the class and then pointed at Phyllis. Shy as she was, she joined them and that was the start of 64 years together. After her family moved away from Vancouver, Oscar managed to sneak out with his parents car to make a few "quick trips" to Pasco, WA - driving 5 hours each way just to spend one hour with the love of his life. After dating throughout high school, they were married on September 24, 1951. Her career was and always will be taking care of family. Phyllis recognized the importance of managing all the responsibilities of building a home and raising three sons while her husband was building a successful business to support their growing family. Busy as she was with family, over the years she has enjoyed many other activities and good times with good friends. Phyllis and Oscar enjoyed occasional travel, mostly by car - the time spent together driving was always more important than the destination. In recent years, they also shared several special trips and events with family and close friends, including camping trips to Mt. Hood, a cruise to Alaska, an anniversary reunion at Long Beach, WA with all her family together, and an extended RV trip to their childhood homes in Missouri and Nebraska. Her family is proud to recognize Phyllis for the extraordinary job she did as a wife, mother, grandmother and homemaker. She was an outstanding cook - making her many traditional dishes and trying new recipes, but mostly she just enjoyed cooking for her loved ones. Phyllis traveled hours to be there for the birth of her first great-grandchild, and had seven years with Luke to build a cherished and lasting relationship. One of her last special moments was to be able to hold her newest family member, great-grandson Mason - who arrived only three days earlier. Her dedication, guidance and love for us created a close and loving family that will have to carry on without her, but with countless touching memories to always keep her in our hearts and minds. Loving you forever

Phyllis June Mather

July 4, 1932 - June 28, 2011