Phyllis S. Passow

Phyllis Suzanne Passow, 89, of Lacey, Wash., Fountain Hills, and Cleveland, Ohio, died peacefully Dec. 19, 2015 at NorFlor Manor in Lacey, after a long struggle with dementia, under the excellent and compassionate care of Norma Allarde and the caregivers at NorFlor.

Born April 28, 1926, in Buffalo, N.Y., she was the daughter of Lloyd Judson Thomson and Florence Mildred Moss. In addition to her parents, Mrs. Passow was preceded in death by all of her six sisters and two brothers, and her husband, Wilfred Henry Passow, who was an avid hiker, volunteer and community leader in Arizona.

Phyllis was raised in Buffalo, N.Y. and Cleveland, Ohio, and was a 1944 graduate of Cleveland Heights High School. She met Wil on a blind date, they married in 1949, and they moved from Cleveland to Arizona in 1959, where he worked for Motorola.

In 1987, the Passows retired to their dream home in Fountain Hills with the beautiful view of Four Peaks, where Phyllis lived until 2013.

Phyllis was known for her hospitality and adventurous spirit. She and Wil hosted a Christmas Eve open house in Scottsdale for many years that attracted hundreds of friends. There was always room for another plate, a smile and welcome at the Passows’ table.

In 1988, Mrs. Passow quit smoking (cold turkey) and got in shape to hike the volcanoes in Hawaii with Wil and the Y-Trekkers, the hiking and travel group founded by Wil.

With Wil and the Y-Trekkers, she hiked trails in Austria, Switzerland, France, Ireland, England, New Zealand, the Canadian Rockies and Hawaii. She hiked rim to rim of the Grand Canyon five times.

In 1998, six months before Wil died and at 72 years old, Phyllis walked 93 miles of the 190-mile trail from St. Bees to Robin Hood’s Bay across England.

In addition, she bowled, played golf, line danced, and regularly got together with girlfriends for a game of bridge. She loved watching baseball (she attended a World Series game in 1948) and enjoyed spring training games in Arizona.

She was an active member of Christ’s Church of Fountain Hills until moving to Olympia in March of 2013.

Mrs. Passow is survived by her children Karen Nixon, Olympia; David Passow and wife, Susan of Kihei, Maui; Robyn Fisher and husband, William Fisher, of Olympia; grandchildren, Sandi Fanjoy Tucker, Jacob Jones, Jordyn Jones and Jamie Jones; and great-grandchildren, Megan Zimbelman, Rion Tucker and Harrison Tucker, (all currently living in the Northwest); as well as many nieces and nephews who consider her a favorite aunt.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to Senior Services for South Sound. www.southsoundseniors.org.

A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 30, at Unity of Olympia, 1335 Fern St, SW, Olympia, Wash. There will also be an informal gathering of friends and family in Fountain Hills to spread her ashes on Mothers’ Day weekend 2016.