She was born February 4, 1921 to Nelson and Beth (Rodgers) Willson at home on the family farm near Garnett, Kansas. She would talk about how growing up she walked 1¾ miles with her sister to the one-room schoolhouse and her love of showing her prize-winning mule at the 4H competitions. After graduating from Garnett high school, she taught grades 1-8 in a similar rural one-room school until she graduated from University of Kansas in 1951 with an education degree.
She married John Bernard in 1952 at the KU campus chapel. She went on to teach kindergarten at Prairie Elementary and Comanche Elementary in the Shawnee Mission school district and retired in 1984 after a 30-year teaching career. Phyllis was a member of Village Presbyterian Church in Prairie Village, Kansas where she volunteered for many years. She also volunteered at Shawnee Mission hospital where she was awarded Volunteer of the Year in 1995.
She enjoyed playing bridge and gardening but her passion was her family about which she wrote in her personal history, “I look at pictures of you all every day and my heart just swells until I think I can’t stand it. I love you all so much.” She was dearly loved by her family and will be greatly missed.
She is survived by her husband of 66 years, John Bernard of Mission, KS, her sons Trent Bernard of St. Louis, and Greg Bernard (Lisa) of Leawood, and grandchildren Tyler (Ashley), Abby, Jack, Mary, Alex, and Michael. She was preceded in death by her sister, Clara Grace Jones.
Private graveside service and burial to be held at Mount Moriah Cemetery.
Donations can be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association of Kansas City, 3846 West 75th Street, Prairie Village, Kansas 66208; (913) 831-3888; https://www.alz.org/kansascity/
