Monika Elizabeth Philbin

Monika Elizabeth (Avram) Philbin, age 67, passed away at her home in Phoenix on Friday, August 19, 2016. She was born on June 2, 1949, in Teltow, Germany, as one of six children to Alexander and Erna (Schmid) Avram. Monika arrived in America with her family in 1956 and lived in Muttontown, New York, until moving to Whiteriver, Arizona in 1974. She and her family lived there until moving to Phoenix in 1983. Monika lived with a spirit of adventure and giving. Monika joins her parents and sister, Angelika. She is survived by her children, James (Noelle), Daniel (Dianna), and Teresa (Lupe), and 2 grandchildren, Jeffrey and Bethany. Monika never turned down an adventure. Her tireless energy helping others and always having a positive outlook on life made her a kind soul that’ll be missed by all. Her smile and sense of humor was infectious and would always cheer others up even when she was not feeling her best. She enjoyed life to the fullest, and was always planning her next trip. She spent her life as a caregiver for children and elderly. Between her times as a caregiver she was an assistant Girl Scout leader. She became the Girl Scout registrar for years and spent many hours processing scouts’ registrations. When it came time for Girl Scout Cookies, she would buy lots of extra boxes for Teresa’s troop because after the season was done, she always knew people would come back for more. Monika also spent her time going on many camping trips with the Girl Scouts and many Disneyland bus trips with the girls and their families. Not only did she spend time volunteering with the Girl Scouts, but she spent a lot of time with the Boy Scouts as well. She became the treasurer for James and Daniel’s Boy Scout troop along with driving the boys to different activities and trips. She would just step in wherever she was needed to help out.

She would always bring a positive attitude into a room and light it up with smiles. She had no problem making friends everywhere she went; she loved to socialize. She loved playing games, whether it was board games, cards or playing the slot machines, it brought great joy to her, especially when she won. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 27, 2016, at 2:00pm, at A.L. Moore-Grimshaw Mortuary, 710 W. Bethany Home Rd., Phoenix, 85014. *The family asks that if you are attending the service, please avoid wearing black. In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Phoenix Sunny Slope Senior Center 802 E. Vogel Ave. Phoenix, AZ 85020 or the American Cancer Society.