Phyllis Works Whicker 1918 ~ 2011 Phyllis Works Whicker, 93, passed away at home on May 12, 2011, in Murray, Utah.
Phyllis was born February 27, 1918, in Salt Lake City to James Earnest and Hazel (Huff) Works. She spent her early years in Delta, Richfield, Sugarhouse, Holladay, and Oasis, Utah. She graduated from Hinckley High School in Hinckley, Utah. She attended Utah State University and ultimately graduated from the Woodberry Business College in Los Angeles, California.
She married Henry Ford Whicker on October 15, 1938, in Murray, Utah, and, after Ford's death in 1984, was later sealed to him in the South Jordan Temple. Phyllis worked for the First National Bank of Murray for many years. That bank eventually became Walker Bank & Trust, then First Interstate, and finally Wells Fargo. She retired in 1980. Phyllis truly enjoyed serving in various women's organizations: She served as president of the Murray Junior Women's Club and the Salt Lake County Firemen's Auxiliary. She was also a captain of the Hillcrest Camp of the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Although Phyllis survived her husband by 27 years and endured the challenges of macular degeneration, she was the ultimate example to all who knew her, never complaining and always eager to live an active life.
She is survived by two daughters, Karen (George) Ellis of Los Angeles, California, and Dixie (Jim) Galbraith of Midway, Utah. She is also survived by three grandchildren, Derek Galbraith, Erin (Chuck) Huband, and Emily (Ben) Maxwell, as well as five great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by an infant son, Raymond Ford Whicker, and a grandson, Brian Ford Galbraith. Funeral services will be at the Jenkins-Soffe Mortuary (4760 South State Street in Murray) on Monday, May 16th at 11:00 a.m. There will be a viewing at the mortuary on Sunday, May 15th from 5:00-7:00 p.m., and preceding the funeral from 10:00-10:45 a.m. Interment will be in the Larkin Sunset Gardens in Sandy, Utah, immediately following the funeral.
As you can see, my beautiful Grandma passed away last week. It was rather sudden and completely surprising - but, being that my Grandma was 93, it was not completely unexpected. She died in her home. The home she had been able to live at for the last 61 years. It is a wonderful, wonderful home - built by her father and her husband, Grandpa Ford. What a blessing it was for her to live in her home and, yes, to die in it. My grandmother was legally blind and could only see peripherally (and that was probably pretty blurry as well). But she knew every nook and cranny of her home and went about living there with no difficulties. It would have been tragic for her to end up living the last few days, weeks, or months (or even years) in a nursing home or other facility - she would not have been able to do a single thing on her own since she wouldn't have been able to see or know what to expect. So I think we all found great comfort that she lived the past 6 + decades of her life in her sweet home.
My Grandma was such a beautiful lady - inside and out. She always looked elegant. Even when pulling weeds, or picking tomatoes in her garden, she was dressed nice, hair done, and make-up on. I had never, not once, heard a single negative comment from her - or even a complaint. She was always optimistic and up-beat. She didn't let blindness get in the way of her living life. She continued to go to movies, plays, out to dinner, etc. She was always great to be around due to her positive attitude.
My kids know her as "Jelly-bean Grandma." Grandma had a little jelly-bean machine (exactly like those small gumball machines) and whenever we'd visit, the kids would get a couple of turns on the machine for jelly-beans. When she'd visit us with my parents, she'd bring a baggie for each of the kids. Even when my parents came without her, a baggie was prepared for each of the kids. Such a thoughtful little treat that my kids adored.
So we'll all miss her. And will forever love her. . .
Here are a few recent pictures. Some I've posted already, but I enjoy them.
We'll see what she looks like tomorrow morning (yes, I made her sleep in them. Because I did as a girl and it just adds to the whole experience :)
We employed this box (filled with random stuff like plastic easter eggs, a barbie/princess doll head, etc.) during dinner time for some good peace and quiet (well not really quiet with my 4 total kids, but quieter i guess).
On Saturday was visited a little place called Tinytown. There are 2 real-live steam locomotives there (miniature, of course) and little replicas of Denver homes, stores, buildings, etc. to walk around and peek in at. There are a few buildings, like the above fire-station, that the kids can actually get in to. The others are cutely "decorated - think larger-scale dollhouses.
Just so cute.
Peeking in at the library.
Lucy enjoyed her swing ride there at the park.
The 3 kids all rode in the caboose. So cool.
We actually saw the coal get shoveled in. Pretty neat. Diana came with us and so that was a treat. She knew/recognized a lot of the buildings.
We started a little 1'x6' garden for the kids using the square-foot gardening method. They each get 2 one-foot sections. Here is Jonas huffing and puffing as he carries over the watering can to water.
Cute little Emmy - I help her decide what to wear in the morning. An hour later she's gone through oodles of other "outfits." This was a pretty great one. She loves her "klip-klop" shoes (I bought them as "Sunday shoes." She wants to wear them all. the. time. They are already pretty scuffed.)
Lucy seemed entertained enough as we worked in the garden. She tasted all sorts of grass and dirt.
Jonas planting his peas, I think.
This gal can't be of my blood! What, holding a chicken! What?! She even chases it and grabs it since they run away and are now big and fast. But look how big Princess Nora is! Yikes. Despite my dislike and/or fear of birds, I'm pretty nice to our chickens. I feed them a gourmet salad most days - and a couple times a day, sometimes, too. Gourmet salad for chickens is what, you ask? Dandelion greens - oh they love them so! Also, as I was out back this afternoon I noticed that the chickens were excessively chirpy. It didn't sound right; I knew something was wrong. Yep, turned out their water container was completely dry. I was proud of myself for understanding "bird talk." (In fact I have told Miles, waaaaay before today's incident, that I can tell when his bird is chirping b/c he needs fresh water and food. Just call me Mrs. Doolittle please.) (Wanna know something funny, though? I was pretty petrified of putting the water container back in their coop with them all inside. I did not want them stampeding towards me to get to their water! So I kept banging and banging on the coop until they all went outside to their chicken run. Then I quickly opened the latched, plopped the water down, and closed the latch up again!)
Emmy - the princess-pirate. At least that is what she looks likes to me. This is her "smile like a princess" pose. Why does she think princesses are so sad looking?
Wow, what a great get-up! I have an adorable video of Jonas (down below) but it is sideways! So mad! But I posted it so you can still hear Jonas' adorable giggles. I thought the camera was on "picture mode" and so I was going to do a vertical shot. Turns out I still had it on "video mode" and you can't take vertical videos. Lame.
This is Jonas' new friend/toy: Buzzy-bee. How nice of Jonas to feed him some Cheerios, huh?
This is Miles yesterday afternoon (sidenote: one of our "elderly" friends in the area got the kids some PJs. the kids all adore them and put them on as soon as we got home from church!). Miles made some cookies - all. by. himself. He asked me yesterday morning if I wanted some "quiet time to take a nap." Uh, yeah! He then proceeded to tell me that he wanted to do a surprise. Make something. On his own. We reviewed some rules: like follow the recipe exactly (we had caught a glimpse of the recipe, found in the Friend, while he was perusing it during Sacrament meeting). Miles had told me he only had to microwave it, but Ben saw that there was no heating/cooking involved. So we tried to slyly tell him that if it said not to cook it, don't cook, or if to cook it on the stove, cook it on the stove, etc. After several *tryng* minutes, I felt that he was actually going to follow the recipe. Towards the end he came to me (I was in the office talking to my sis) explaining that the cookies were just too sticky and he just haaaaaad to cook them. I told him that that probably wouldn't make things better. Then he came back all delighted b/c he realized that if you put them in the fridge, they hardened up! He was very excited and proud of his cookies. The whole family enjoyed them as well.
Jonas went around one morning taking pictures of Emmy. This one is pretty great.
Lucy was 9 months on Monday (these pictures were taken on Tuesday). She remains pretty much awesome. She finally sleeps through the night. I put her down sometime between 7-7:30 and she doesn't wake up to feed until 4-5am ish. Lovely. She'll then go back down until 6:30-7, when the whole upstairs starts rumbling with siblings.
The pall-bearers. I don't really know the first two men (neighbors, I think), but there is my father, my brother, Derek, and George (married to my Aunt Karen).
I wanted the kids to have a little part and I think one of them earlier had mentioned sending off balloons to Grandma (we have an "older" friend here in town that takes us with her to send off balloons to her mother on important dates such as Mothers' Day, her mothers' birthday, etc.). So we got a balloon in honor of each great-grandchild (5) and had the kids send them up to her. 
Up, up, and away to grandma. . .
They did so great the entire weekend. They were so good at the viewing - they were so interested in seeing Grandma, had many questions - many, many questions. It was awesome. At the funeral they did great too and remained mostly quiet for all of it. Miles and Jonas even listened.
She was perfectly delightful.
There we were. Karen (my aunt) and George were there, too. But out of respect to my lovely mother (knowing she would not be pleased with herself in the picture!), I won't show the one picture I got of them. But it was great to see them again - they are wonderful people. At the luncheon afterwards someone came up to my aunt and told her how much she looked like Phyllis. My aunt replied, "Thank you. I take that as a compliment." So true - my Grandma was such a beautiful lady and Karen does look so much like her!
Ammon, Kolter, Faythe, and Jonas. So adorable.
Of course Emmy came. She even got to be a part of it. 
{Sort-of} Saying the Pledge of Allegiance. (How did I miss until now that they all have the wrong hand over their heart???)
Jonas accepting his diploma.
The best part - treats! 
My lovely cards, lilacs, and rhubarb pie.
So Mother's Day was really a lovely little day. I got delicious smelling lilacs from our yard. Sweet and thoughtful cards that Ben had the children do. Plus more random notes from the kids hidden throughout the house. Plus artwork from Miles from school, a potted plant from each boy, etc., etc. It was fun. Ben sent me out the day before and I got 3 new shirts. Plus we had our first rhubarb pie of the season. A great day.