Phyllis Ann Beaty

Phyllis Ann (Pennington) Beaty

Phyllis was born on February 19, 1929, in Milford, Nebraska, the fourth of five children of parents Sam and Norma (Bosma) Pennington.  She was baptized on Oct. 5, 1930, in her parents’ home in Milford.  At aged 2, the family moved to Pleasant Dale, NE.

In 1939, the family moved to Manitowoc, Wisconsin, where her father was employed at building submarines for the WWII war effort.  While there, Phyllis attended school in Manitowoc, a large school in a class of about 200.   They returned to Pleasant Dale just prior to her senior year in high school moving her from a large school with abundant opportunities, to a graduating class of 4, and with few educational options.   She was the only one in the family NOT excited to return home.

She met Byron in 1949 while working in Lincoln.  In spring, 1950, Phyllis purchased her beloved Singer Featherweight sewing machine, and the first thing she made with it was her wedding gown.  On September 3, 1950, Byron and Phyllis were married.  They honeymooned at Rockaway Beach, MO, near Branson, spending their very last penny (a total of $200).  They lived in Kansas City, MO, where Byron worked at his first job as an electrical engineer, and Phyllis worked in an insurance office.

Daughter, Gail, was born to them in Kansas City in December 1953, and in 1955, they moved to Denver, Colorado, where their son, Joe was born in 1957.  They bought a NEW house at that time, and lived there for the rest of their lives, until it became apparent that they could no longer manage at ages 92 and 94. 

For all of those years, they attended First United Presbyterian Church in Englewood, where she served many years as a deacon, sang in the choir, visited recent visitors, quilted with the ladies, and the two of them were active in the “Mariners” couples' group.  They attended National Mariner conventions for 10+ years at locations around the country camping with the kids while travelling. In this way, Gail and Joe were privileged to see much of the nation.  Later, they frequently went on short trips through the Malley Senior Center in Englewood, and travelled to Hawaii, Alaska, cruised the Panama Canal, and cruised the St. Laurence Seaway.

Byron and Phyllis were active in Square Dancing Club, the Rocky Mountain Rock Club, and the Neurofibromatosis Foundation.  Phyllis sang with the women’s chorus “Harmonics”.  She participated regularly in water exercise after which she often went out with the others for breakfast.  In those years, they struggled with a rare illness in their son, Joe, which took his life at age 29.

Phyllis continued to sew clothing, drapes both for her home and behind the altar at the church, re-upholstering most of their living room furniture, and the designing and sewing of Gail’s wedding gown.  Phyllis took a full-time job when the kids were in high school, and this job paid for Gail’s college education, allowing her to graduate from a private college without the burden of college loans.

Phyllis had only 2 grandchildren but loved them intensely.  She loved camping trips with the kids and used her sewing skills to make them a quiet book, a beanbag “nativity” set, baby blankets, Halloween costumes and twin sized quilts - quilted by hand.

During COVID, Phyllis and Byron closed themselves in their home.  Byron’s health began to decline, Phyllis’ short-term memory declined.  They agreed to move to an assisted living facility, after which Byron promptly fell, was hospitalized, contracted COVID, and died one month after their move.  From this time on, Phyllis frequently stated: “why doesn’t God to take me!”.  Phyllis moved to a long-term care facility in Nebraska to be near Gail.  Recently, she began to complain that she was tired and began sleeping a lot.  She got her wish, passing peacefully in her sleep on October 27, 2023, at age 94.

She is survived by daughter Gail (Chris) Effken, grandchildren Ashley (Jim) Prothro, Christopher (Stephanie) Effken, and great-grandchildren Sophia, Heidi, Elizabeth, Charlie, and James Prothro, and Grace, Benjamin, and Judah Effken, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and their families.

A Funeral Service for Phyllis will take place on November 9th, 2023, at 10:30 a.m. with a viewing at 10:00 a.m. at the 1st Presbyterian Church, in Englewood, Colorado, followed by a lunch at 11:30.

A Graveside Service will be at the Olinger Chappel Hill Cemetery at 1:00 p.m. in Littleton, CO.

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