Phyllis Darlene Goodner

Phyllis Darlene Goodner, 93, passed away following a short illness on August 11, 2019, at Sterling Regional MedCenter, surrounded by her family. As she requested, a family celebration of her life will be held at Olinger Mortuary in Wheatridge, Colorado on September 29, 2019.

Phyllis was born on October 5, 1925, in Oxford, Nebraska, to Harry E. and Ruth S. (Rasmussen) Berner. She spent her early years living in small towns in Nebraska. In 1934 her family moved to Colorado to escape the dust storms and to find better opportunities during the Depression. The family lived in the Denver area and then moved to Holyoke when she was in junior high. She spent her high school years in Fort Morgan where she met her future husband, William (Bill) Goodner. She graduated from Fort Morgan High School in 1942 when she was just 16. After graduation, she worked in Denver as a nurse’s aide. She attended Denver University Business School and briefly attended the University of Nebraska. During World War II she worked as a secretary for “War Man Power” in Denver. Phyllis and Bill were married in 1946 when he returned from the war in Europe, and they lived in Fort Collins until he got his degree. After he graduated, they lived in Rocky Ford, Westminster and then moved to Arvada where they raised their family. Phyllis worked as a secretary for the Arvada Presbyterian Church for many years and at several other businesses in Arvada. She was very active in her family’s interests and activities and never missed a single concert, program or athletic event they were involved in. She was president of the PTA, a Girl Scout leader and was very involved in Band Boosters. Later she belonged to the Wheatridge Women’s Club, the Beta Sigma Phi Sorority and the Humanities Club in Sterling. After Bill’s death in 1988, Phyllis continued to live in the Denver area until 2010 when she moved to Sterling, Colorado to be closer to her family. She was an avid reader and looked forward to her weekly trip to the library with her daughter in tow to carry the many books she would read that week. She enjoyed cross stitch and quilting and was a collector of pewter, milk glass, Nativity scenes and coins, among other things. She continued to live independently until her death.

Phyllis was a wife, mom, grandmother, and a great grandmother with a love so powerful she brought her family to her bedside without saying one word. It was like the cavalry riding in by car, by plane, by internet. Each of the family seeing her, talking to her, and she seeing and hearing each one of them. She will be missed, but she will live through all of her loved ones by what she taught them. They will celebrate her long and loving life.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, William (Bill) Goodner, parents, Harry & Ruth Berner, her parents-in-law, James (Pix) and Louise Goodner, her sister, Cheryl (Berner) Sanford, brother-in-law, Arden Albers, and her great grand-daughter, Taylor Fry.

She is survived by daughters, Nicki (Stan) Fry, Karleen (Fred) Staible, son, Terry (Vicki) Goodner; 9 grandchildren: Matthew (Holly) Fry, Monte (Heidi) Fry, Jennifer (Fry) Weiss, Jeremy (Heather) Staible, Kara (Kevin) Tumlinson, Molly Goodner (Jacob Erpelding), Arylia (Josh) Phillips, Tylar Goodner, Brandon (Kayla) Goodner;10 great grand-children: Emily, Carleigh, Jillian, Maggie, Abigail, Karson, Adilynn, Landon, Brayden and Jamison, as well as brother-in-law, John Sanford, and several nieces and nephews.

A private service will be held in Phyllis's honor.