Phyllis Anne (Boarman) Berry passed away peacefully on June 5, 2022 at the age of ninety-nine.
Phyllis was born in East Orange, New Jersey on November 22, 1922 to Leroy and Josephine Boarman. As a senior in high school in 1940, Phyllis was chosen as the Ponds Cold Cream girl for a New York newspaper advertisement. Kearie Lee (Kaye) Berry, then a cadet at West Point, saw the advertisement and wrote Phyllis asking for a date. Cadet Berry’s pursuit of the lovely Phyllis culminated in their marriage in January 1943, right after Berry graduated early to go to war.
After the war, the Air Force sent Phyllis and Kaye to Nanking, China for two years, where Phyllis reveled in the experience of life as the wife of a military attaché, learned to speak a little Mandarin Chinese, and faced the dangers of living in the middle of the Communist Revolution. The vivid memories of this period stayed with her to the end of her life.
Back in the States, Phyllis loved dining at Chinese restaurants where she would speak to the staff in Chinese. Phyllis, Kaye, and their children lived in various places in the United States as the Air Force promoted Kaye to new positions.
Tragedy struck the family in 1962 when Kaye was killed in a plane crash at Paine Field Air Force Base, in Everett, Washington. A newly widowed mother of three, Phyllis resolved to move to Colorado Springs, where she made her home for most of the remainder of her life. Making her way in her new community, Phyllis worked for KVOR radio station for several years before accepting a position as a recreation director at the Air Force Academy for a short time. Then, for thirteen years, she worked as the staff assistant for the late Senator William Armstrong, managing his Colorado Springs office. In her role, Phyllis made a real difference in the lives of hundreds of constituents by assisting them in matters involving the Federal government.
Phyllis is survived by her son K.L. Berry, III (Ann) of Denver, daughter Dana Berry Frazee (John) of Castle Rock, son Richard R. Berry (Sheila) of Arlington, Massachusetts, ten grandchildren, and twenty-four great grandchildren.
Donations can be made to the Broadmoor Community Church, where a Celebration of Life will be held for Phyllis on June 25, 2022 at 11:00 a.m.