Phyllis Shinal

Phyllis Homman Shinal was born July 3, 1930 in Mannington West Virigina and grew up as a very proud farm girl on her grandparents’ farm for the first eleven years of her life. Raised by Harry Franklin Smith and Ethel Melissa Taylor Smith, Mom was surrounded by love and mischief with a house full of uncles who doted on her. Sandwiched between her youngest two uncles Jack and Ron, she was known completely as a Smith kid and carried that as a proud legacy her entire life.

When she was eleven and right before the country was plunged into World War II, Mom went to live in Charleston West Virginia with her mother Pearl and her beloved stepfather John Homman who treated Mom like his own baby girl and spoiled her with chocolate and unlimited turns at the pinball machine in his store. Full of energy and happiness, weekends were spent at the movies with friends or dancing at one of their houses with tons of records playing while the living room floor was jumping from the all the happy dancing with that core group of friends. It was during this time that Mom honed her skills as a seamstress, learning to sew and piece together different sections of patterns to make stylish dresses and skirts prevalent in the 1940’s.

During the 1950’s Mom trained as an x-ray technician which she fully enjoyed but decided not to pursue it as a full-time career. She worked for Bell Telephone for almost ten years in the accounts and billing department, ever proud that her ledgers were always perfectly balanced. It was at the phone company she met her lifelong friend Louise Elkins and together they embarked on sewing wedding and bridesmaid dresses as their own successful side business. In 1958 Mom’s life forever changed and became ever fulfilled when she met Steven John Shinal and they married on Friday the 13th- more specifically February 13th, 1959. So many things went awry for the wedding but Mom and Dad just laughed with the ever continuing occurrences- the wedding rings arrived in the wrong sizes, the county lost the blood tests, Mom’s hat was created navy blue and not winter white as she specified, the restaurant where they were to have their reception burned down a couple of weeks before, the bakery couldn’t deliver the cake due to the snow on the roads, and out of the three or four people taking photographs at the ceremony the only photo they have of their wedding is a very blurry and sideways shot of the candles on the mantle at the minister’s home.

Son John arrived in 1962 and daughter Melissa followed in 1968, cementing the family in deep rooted love and the understanding that IBM meant I’ve Been Moved which occurred several times for Dad’s work- from Media PA to Tillson, NY over to Fishkill NY, and finally Raleigh NC in 1978.

Mom never had a “pause” switch- she always had a project or a need to keep moving her body to do something so whether it was hauling out the 36 foot extension ladder to get on the roof or paint the side of the house or making use of the reciprocating saw to remove the holly bushes by the deck because it was “time”, she rarely stood still. It was not uncommon for her to start peeling the bathroom wallpaper at 2am because she was tired of it. She loved being a stay at home wife and mother but eventually started working part time at the local fabric stores and she continued working until she was almost 90, only stopping because of COVID.

In 1985 her heart was shattered into unfathomable pieces when her cherished Steven was killed by a drunk driver and her treasured son John was seriously injured in the same crash. With her steadfast intense determination, Mom got involved with MADD and would monitor courtroom proceedings of drunk driving cases, recording what the charges and subsequent sentences were, in order to compile data of how the judges applied the law. Later she began speaking as a Victim’s Advocate, telling our family’s story of how a drunk driver impacted us and how we were then and how we are now. Never casting blame or anger in her voice, she reached many with her talks and oftentimes would sit and talk at length with the people attending the sessions. She considered it an honor to connect with people and had several opportunities to address the North Carolina legislature and law enforcement agencies in the area.

Mom remained active and energetic all the way into her 90’s and finally the pause switch activated on April 27, 2026. Mom passed at 95-3/4 years young and only after suffering a horrendous fall at home which impacted her brain. Ever feisty and witty to the end, she declared during her time in the hospital that the vanilla pudding on her tray should “be illegal” and that unsweetened iced tea they gave her was “an abomination.” At 7:30am on Monday, she was finally granted her most fervent wish and reunited with her beloved Steven after 41 years apart. We are certain that Dad came to her and said “let’s blow this popsicle stand and go to the most amazing dance ever…” So peacefully, with no pain, and on her own terms, Mom left with Dad during a morning of brilliant sunlight and bright colors.

Mom is now reunited with Dad as well as her mother Pearl; her “true” heart father John Homman; her grandparents Harry & Ethel Smith; beloved aunt Eileen Smith Snider and her children Larry Alan, Cheryle, and Randy; her wonderful Smith uncles Herbert Wood (aka Woody), Harry Jr (aka Wimpy), Hagan Harding (aka Peck), Kenneth Orton (aka Buck), Earl Franklin (aka Jack) and Ronald Still (aka Jock); and all her beloved furbabies- Teddy (spitz), Pudgy (Boston Terrier), Temper (Boston Terrier), Eloise (Brindle Wire Haired Terrier Mix), Punkin (sheltie poodle mix), Duchess (small sheltie), Kacie (thick coated sheltie), Tosca (tri-colored sheltie), Mollie (sheltie with a collie nose), Josie (the Jack Russell Terror), and Cody (the gentle black and white spotty dawg floofy spaniel).

Left to wait for their time to witness Mom’s renewed energy and joy are John and Melissa, cherished friends Lousie & Jim Elkins and their sons Bill and Dan and their families, her nieces and nephews from Steve’s brothers Ed & Tom alongside their families and wonderful kids, cherished friends of the neighborhood (and all of their wonderful dogs and kids), Mill Outlet Village, and any and all who ever encountered her and valued her smile, enthusiasm, silliness, and West Virginia hillbilly stubbornness.

The wonderful folks at Brown Wynne funeral home on Millbrook Road will be taking care of Mom and have plenty of chocolate ready for her trip. The visitation will be on Sunday May 3rd from 2pm to 4pm at the funeral home and the funeral service will be on Monday May 4th at 11am also at the funeral home, followed by the graveside service at Pine Forest Memorial Gardens in Wake Forest.

Please wear bright happy colors, bring laughter and stories to share, and always remember to eat a piece of chocolate every day… Mom said that was her secret to a happy and long life.