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Phyllis Brinkman
Posted
Phyllis Brinkman’s spirit passed on to a new life at about 5:30 on Sunday, Nov. 8, at the age of 97 with her family around her.
Phyllis was born in Coraopolis, Pa. on Sept. 13, 1918. Her family moved to Muskogee, Okla. when she was very young and eventually to Tulsa where she grew up and graduated from high school.
She married and had two children, John Neville Simpson and Ann Simpson. She moved to Kentucky after her divorce and raised her children in Spottsville, Ky. with the help of her parents, Art and Amelie Slagter, and operated a restaurant in Henderson, Ky.
Then followed another marriage and a move to St. Louis where she lived for three years. After her daughter married and settled in Madison, Wis. Phyllis moved to the area and got a job with the Wisconsin Conference of Churches where she worked for the next 29 years as office manager and treasurer.
She headed up the Commission on Aging, which investigated the predatory practices of some funeral homes and opposed age-related firing practices. She also volunteered with Habitat for Humanity, operating their office and scheduling volunteers to bring lunch to the worksite.
She moved to Arizona with her daughter and son-in-law in 1996 and continued to volunteer at the Save the Family Thrift Store as the cashier until she was 93.
She then started volunteering with Hospice of the Valley, oxygen tank and all, thanks to the very warm and welcoming staff and volunteers who made her feel appreciated and useful even though she was fast losing her capabilities.
Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Amelie and Art Slagter; her three brothers, Arthur, Nat, and Neville Slagter; her son, John Simpson; her grandson, Scotty Schweers; and her son-in-law, Bill Schweers.
She is survived by her daughter, Ann Schweers; three grandchildren, Lora Nordstrom, Lisa Kush and Christopher Schweers; and three great grandchildren, Britta and Anders Nordstrom and Kolton Kush.
She will be missed but the family is relieved that her recent struggles are over.
