Phyllis Tinsley Todaro

Phyllis Tinsley Todaro, resident of Austin, Texas, was born on September 21, 1920, to Joseph Kyle and Naomi Elizabeth (nee Bowman) Tinsley in Berkeley, California. Our beautiful (literally) and talented mother, Phyllis, passed away on June 12th, 2015.

She met and was married to Samuel Palmer Todaro, M.D., at the time a major in the U.S. Army, in San Francisco in 1944, until his death in 1986. She is survived by her three children: Joseph, his spouse Marion (of Woodbridge, VA), and their two children, Julie Todaro Lawser, her spouse Matthew, and their three children (Columbia, MD), and Michael Todaro, his spouse, Erin Schwab, and their daughter (St. Paul, MN); and daughters, Jetta Todaro and Julie Todaro (Austin, TX) and her children Evan Cagle and spouse Joseph Naranjo (Paris, France) and Caitlin Cagle (Los Angeles, CA).

She was raised in Oakland, CA, where she graduated from Fremont High School and attended U.C. Berkeley. Growing up she was a practicing Christian Scientist and spent a great deal of time with her grandmother, Rosa J. Tinsley – one of the first female Christian Science readers in the Church - and her relatives in Montana.

As a young professional woman in the early 1940s, she worked in Oakland and San Francisco for the Emporium and I. Magnin as a fashion and fur buyer as well as a dress designer. She is credited with creating one of the first four-piece outfits (pants, vest, skirt and jacket) for the industry for Capwell, Sullivan & Furth. After WWII, she and her husband spent a year in New York City and then moved to Austin, TX. She was active in the doctors' wives' Seton Hospital Guild alongside her dear friend, Sister Philomena. When her children started school, she was a tireless volunteer at St. Austin's School and assisted in starting the school's library and fundraising events. Phyllis displayed unending talent as an expert dressmaker, needle worker, knitter, quilter and crafter completing hundreds of pieces over the years, displayed in her own home, exhibited in shows and given as gifts, and many proudly worn by her children (even if pins were sometimes found in the hems when they sat down). She was a fierce protector, loved her family, and was a multi-faceted artist. As part of her love for her art, she assisted in starting the Austin Stitchery Guild, serving as one of their first presidents, and had a large role in putting on Needlework Festivals in Austin and Central Texas to showcase Austin's local expert talent. As part of the Guild, she worked tirelessly with her friends at the University of Texas in the School of Home Economics (Division of Apparel Design and Conservation) restoring a saddle blanket of Santa Anna among other historical pieces. In addition to her work in Austin, Phyllis and her large, close group of friends traveled to needlework conferences across the country learning both new and centuries' old techniques. Throughout her life she was an avid gardener and reader and, in later years, she was an active member of the Friends of the Austin Public Library. Phyllis was a contributor to the Battered Women's Shelter and many local animal projects.

A memorial service will be held on Thursday, June 18th at 2:00 p.m. at Weed Corley Fish funeral home on 3125 North Lamar in Austin, Texas 78705.

Enough gratitude cannot be expressed to Rosa Jaramillo, Maria Enriquez (who cared for her as if she were their own mother), RedBud Homecare Services, Silverado Onion Creek Memory Care Community and especially Silverado Hospice Care for their support and assistance.

Although we knew she loved her cocker spaniels as much as her children, we will miss her advice (requested or not), her raised left eyebrow, her readiness to go anywhere at any time, her sense of style, her cooking, and her incredible sense of humor.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the battered women's shelter - SafePlace (safeplace.org), or Cocker Spaniel Rescue of Austin & San Antonio (austincockerrescue.org, or PO Box 27453, Austin, TX 78755).