Phylis Jean Smith passed away on May 9, 2016 at her residence with family by her bedside, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. She was born on August 20, 1935 to the late William and Catherine (Lenker) Liddington in Northumberland, Pennsylvania. Phylis attended grade school and high school in Northumberland and after high school, she completed Nursing Training at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia. Many years later, she received her Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing from the University of North Dakota.
After marrying Lt. Col. Fred D. Smith in 1958, she and her husband moved seventeen times with his U.S. Air Force career; spending time in Maine, where her first son, Fred Dean Smith, Jr. was born. Further assignments took them to Arizona, Alabama, Virginia, Michigan, Missouri, North Dakota and Colorado. Their second son, Jeffry Alan Smith was born in Virginia. The family also spent five years in Naples, Italy, where her husband was assigned to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. While in Italy, she was president of the Protestant Women of the Chapel and always practiced her strong Christian faith wherever their assignments took them. Phylis attended Rock of Ages Lutheran Church at the time of her death.
Prior to her death she and Fred traveled to 91 countries and all continents except for Antarctica. They saw God’s creations in 49 states and were married for 57 years. Phylis was a very caring person who contributed more than 50 years of her life to the care and treatment of people as a nurse and eighteen of those years at Memorial Hospital in the cardiac ward and cardiac rehab. During one of those years, she received the Nurse of the Year Award. Her other two loves in life were traveling and baking cookies and bars for church activities, Medical Mission, individuals and her granddaughter’s dance groups.
Phylis is survived by her husband, two sons, three granddaughters, one great grandson and many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by seven brothers and sisters.
The family would like to acknowledge the excellent treatment she received while in Hospice care.
Memorial services will be held on Friday, June 3, 2016 at 10:30 a.m. at the Rock of Ages Lutheran Church, 120 North 31st Street, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80904.