Phyllis Hopkins of Kingston left us just after 11 pm, 25 Mar 2019. She had suffered from congestive heart failure for numerous years; was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease several years ago, and had developed worsening COPD and dementia. As often before, she was being admitted at Harrison for breathing difficulties. On the way to her room, her heart stopped; CPR failed to revive her.
Phyllis was born in Seattle on 1 Nov 1935, and grew up in West Seattle, graduating from West Seattle High in 1953. She earned a degree in Christian Education at Seattle Pacific in 1957.
She became a highly-respected paralegal, [she held a second full time job as a night-shift flight attendant for Alaska Airlines] and eventually started law school at Cornell University; health issues derailed that plan. Phyllis was a Systems Engineer for IBM, serving in Seattle, at Research Park in NC, in Portland, OR and in Minneapolis. She earned her MSW at Antioch University in Seattle. Twice divorced, Phyllis spent most of her adult life on her own.
Phyllis’ faith was a supreme priority throughout her life. She was a real Christian, not an on-paper or expediency-ruled Christian. She was a gifted artist and musician. Phyllis loved to travel. She visited Haiti, Jamaica, and the Bahamas, when she worked for Pan Am in Miami; she later went to Greece & Turkey; she joined a mission-trip to Kenya.
Phyllis is survived by her sister, Sherry Dalton of Kingston, by her father’s younger sisters [the eldest died in childhood], centenarians Winnie Cole [Mrs. Royal] and Lois Brado [Mrs. Wm.], and ten first cousins. Phyllis’ cremated remains will be interred with her mother’s casket [Nadine Kinkade, 1913 – 2003] at Forest Lawn [above ground] in West Seattle.
Her cherished church, Redeemer United Methodist Church in Kingston, plans a celebration of Phyllis’ life after Sunday morning services on a day not yet chosen, after Easter. In lieu of flowers, please contribute in Phyllis’ memory to Redeemer UMC.
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