Phyllis Sharitt

Phyllis was born on August 6, 1942 in Mobile, Alabama. Her parents were from the Cayman Islands, and thus she spent many happy childhood holidays and summer vacations on the island of Cayman Brac. Her Caymanian heritage was a great source of pride for her throughout her life.

After graduating from Murphy High School in Mobile and William Carey College in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, Phyllis taught elementary school in Mobile. As a second-grade teacher at Bienville Elementary School in 1965, Phyllis had a student named Nancy Sellers, and young Nancy eventually introduced her teacher to her much older brother Greg. Phyllis and Greg were married in 1967, and the marriage lasted more than 40 years, up until the time of Greg’s death in 2009. Phyllis, Greg, and their three children lived in a number of different places over the years: Mobile, Alabama; Jacksonville, Florida; Orlando, Florida; Simpsonville, South Carolina; and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

After Greg passed away, Phyllis became reacquainted with Barnes Sharitt, a family friend from her childhood in Mobile and a fellow student at both Murphy High School and William Carey College. Barnes and Phyllis were married in 2012, and they lived together in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota for the next 13 years. When Barnes passed away in September of 2025, Phyllis moved to Austin, Texas.

Phyllis was friendly to a fault. She would often embarrass her children by striking up conversations with complete strangers in public places, with no question or comment too personal. She loved to know where people were from and to hear their life stories. She had an innate ability to make people feel seen. Always a kid at heart, she never lost her silly sense of humor. Whether it was a lighthearted jig to a favorite song or inappropriate giggles when no one else was laughing, she always kept her family on their toes.

She loved her children fiercely, supporting them in every endeavor . . . even the foolish ones. She had vowed as a young mother to never let a day pass without telling them she loved them, and she kept that promise. Her five grandchildren were her absolute pride and joy. She took any and every opportunity to brag about them to anyone who would listen.

Phyllis was a woman of strong faith, putting God first in everything she did. She never made a significant decision for herself or her family without spending time in prayer over it first. She always said she felt closest to God when she was at the beach, so that was her favorite place to be. The world will be a little less bright without her in it.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, Woodley and Una Mae Foster; her brother, Bill Foster; her first husband, Greg Sellers; her son, Bill Sellers; and her second husband, Barnes Sharitt. She is survived by her son, Ryan Sellers (Sarah Potter) of Memphis, Tennessee; her daughter, Allison Teo (David) of Austin, Texas; her sister-in-law Nancy Windham (Sam) of Pensacola, Florida; her daughter-in-law Sandra Sellers of Windermere, Florida; her grandson Asher Teo of Austin, Texas; her granddaughter Matilda Teo of Austin, Texas; her granddaughters Savannah Sellers (Matthew Kalbacher) of Columbus, Ohio and Sophie Sellers of Windermere, Florida; her granddaughter Iris Potter-Sellers of Memphis, Tennessee; her nephews Matt Windham (Cass) of Jacksonville, Florida and Jacob Windham (Sarah) of Pensacola, Florida; and a great-niece, Maeve Windham of Jacksonville, Florida, who was born shortly before Phyllis’s passing.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to those who offered kindness and care to Phyllis in the final years of her life: Steve and Crystal Rogers (St. Paul, Minnesota); Ron and Janet Larson (Twin Cities, Minnesota); and the staff members of Woodbury Estates (Woodbury, Minnesota) and Hill Country Nursing and Rehab (Dripping Springs, Texas).

A graveside ceremony will be held at Garland Cemetery (Butler County, Alabama) at a later date. Memorials may be made to Woodbury Baptist Church (Woodbury, Minnesota).