Phyllis Bennett Barker

Phyllis Bennett Barker passed away on February 10, 2026, at the HopeWest Hospice Care Center in Grand Junction, Colorado. She was 98 years old, born on September 10, 1927, in Palisade, Colorado. Her parents were Mary and Earl Bennett. Her grandfather, Edward G. Bennett was the founder of Bennett Motor Company.

Phyllis attended elementary and high school in Palisade. Later she graduated from Mesa College with an associate art degree. While at Mesa College, she also met her husband, Robert Barker. The two married in 1950 and moved to Fort Collins where Robert received his degree in veterinary medicine from Colorado State University (still Colorado A & M at the time.) Phyllis always said that she too received a degree in PHS — Putting Hubby through School.

After college, Phyllis and Robert moved to Shawnee, Oklahoma where they opened their animal clinic. They maintained the practice for 38 years. Phyllis loved animals and enjoyed the clinic immensely. She compiled a short anthology of her experiences in a booklet she titled “Doggone It!!! I Loved Being Married to an Animal Doctor.”

After retiring, Phyllis was able to again devote time to art. She filled numerous notebooks and canvases with her sketches and paintings. In 2003, she and Robert returned to Colorado and settled in Grand Junction. There she continued to pursue her love of art and also worked as a volunteer for HopeWest Hospice.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, Robert, in 2005. She is survived by her two daughters, Marty Bruce (Jasper, Georgia) and Marla Norman (Austin, Texas). She has four grandchildren and seven great grandchildren.

Services will be held at St. Anne’s Catholic Church in Palisade on February 14, 2026, at 11:00 a.m.