August 26, 1938 – December 5, 2020
With deep sorrow we announce the peaceful passing of Phyllis Clarke with family by her side at Concordia Hospital on December 5, 2020.
Phyllis was predeceased by her parents, Dmytro and Mary Mozol; sister Rose Schurko; brother Ted; and brother-in-law Bob Thompson.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years Gordon; their three children Norine (Kerry) Neufeld, Richard and Sheryl (Bob) Holmes; seven grandchildren, Kendra and Sean Neufeld, Aiden Clarke, Charlie, Jack, Emily, and Paige Holmes; her remaining sibling Irene Thompson; sister-in-law Mary Mozol; brother-in-law Bud (Mary) Schurko; and many nieces and nephews.
Phyllis was born and raised on her family’s farm near Riverton Manitoba, the youngest of four children. She came to Winnipeg at age 16 working for her board and room and attending secretarial school at Manitoba Technical Institute (now Red River College). She loved choral music, sang in the Young United Church Choir and sang at various weddings.
Before starting her family, Phyllis worked for the Department of National Defence at RCAF Station Winnipeg, Search and Rescue Squadron where she rescued Gordon from a life of bachelorhood. She left the working world to take on the more demanding job of raising a family.
Phyllis had a quiet but outgoing personality, always willing to assist and participate in various community and school projects, including as a Brownie leader, as a volunteer in the school library, and later in the Vasalund library. She was proud to acknowledge and celebrate her Ukrainian background making perogies, cabbage rolls, decorating Ukrainian Easter Eggs, and teaching her children and grandchildren a bit of the Ukrainian language. Some of her best known and often used comments were “there is still goodness left in that” and “why buy it when I can easily make it”.
She spent many happy summers at the trailer at Pye’s Landing at Clearwater Bay, Ontario with winter vacations in Florida, visiting sister Irene in California, and cruising the Caribbean. Phyllis was an avid gardener, and she enjoyed playing various card games with friends and family. She was a ruthless Scrabble player, especially when she joined forces with her sister Irene! She also had an amazing ability to appear distracted while playing cards, yet would somehow come out on top, much to the frustration of her adversaries.
Her love of family came first and was unconditional. Along with more recent friends and neighbours at Vasalund Estates, Phyllis cherished long standing family friends going back to the 1950’s and 1960’s, considering them as part of the extended family.
Many thanks to the dedicated staff of the Health Sciences Centre and N3 West at Concordia Hospital.
According to Phyllis’s wishes cremation has taken place. A gathering of family and friends will be held at a safer time to celebrate Phyllis’s life.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Manitoba Heart and Stroke Foundation, CancerCare Manitoba, or any charity of choice.
