Phyllis Jean McNay

Phyllis Jean (Rheinhardt) McNay passed away peacefully on September 5, 2025 in Cincinnati, OH at 96 years old. She is survived by her daughter Deborah McNay and her partner John Davitt of Silver Spring, MD, son Richard and his wife Beth (Corwin) McNay of Cincinnati, OH, and grandsons Robert and his wife Amy (Mundy) McNay of Richmond, VA and James McNay and his partner Katie Dew of Cincinnati, OH, as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by husband Robert John McNay, parents Elmer and Carrie (Stewart) Rheinhardt, brother Eugene Rheinhardt, and sisters Alberta Helbert, Evelyn Rasor, and Helen Wolfe.

Phyllis was born in Dayton, Ohio on April 8, 1929, the youngest of five children. She graduated from Roosevelt High School in 1947, where she met her future husband, Robert. They married in March 1950 and lived in Trotwood, Ohio, where Robert was first elected mayor and then appointed city manager. He passed away suddenly in March 1979. Phyllis first worked in the men’s department of Woolworth’s in the Arcade Building in downtown Dayton, and then joined Monsanto in Miamisburg, OH during the early 1950s. After raising her children, she returned to work in the front office of S&R Tool with her sister Helen before joining the Montgomery County (Ohio) Planning Commission, from which she retired in 1990.

She was a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother and took great pride in her children and grandsons. She will be remembered for her love of Florida beaches, browsing and shopping (particularly at Dorothy Lane Market and Dillards), good fiction, and dogs (but especially her great granddogs Bailey, Moxie, and Beau). Her style and decorating advice was always appreciated by her family, and her cooking, especially her German sweet chocolate cake, cheese ball, turkey tetrazzini, and pies (pumpkin was her favorite), was enjoyed by many. Those recipes live on with her family.

Many thanks to the staff of Harmony of Anderson for their loving care of Phyllis over the last few years, and to the staff of Suncrest Hospice who added immeasurably to her care during the last weeks.

Per Phyllis’s request, there will be no services. Phyllis will be buried next to her husband Robert at David’s Cemetery in Kettering, OH at a future date. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the American Macular Degeneration Foundation (macular.org) or any charity of your choice.

“Grief is the price we pay for love.” Queen Elizabeth II