Phyllis Carlson died, aged ninety-two years, in her Overland Park home in the early hours of May 29th, 2023, following a several-years-long fight with oral cancer. Phyllis was known and loved for being inquisitive, open-minded, dynamic, adventuresome, persistent, and committed to caring for others. Phyllis was born in Upland, California, on August 22nd, 1930. Her parents were Laona Pearl Book Hershey and Charles Hershey. After the family dairy farm went under, they moved from Abilene, Kansas, and had four children: Paul, Carol, Marilyn, and Phyllis. From eighteen months to age three, Phyllis lived with neighbors of the family, the Trautwines, because her mother was exhausted with children rearing. When Mrs. Trautwine wanted to adopt Phyllis, Laona objected and brought her home—though Phyllis did not learn of this until her adulthood. While many living in Upland at the time owned orange or lemon groves, Charles was a beekeeper and custodian. Money was often tight for the family. Laona was creative; she ensured there was always enough to eat and sewed stylish, patterned dresses for the girls to wear to church. There is no doubt that Phyllis inherited something of the restlessness that marked those years in the Hershey household. By kindergarten she had already denounced her given name: Laona. She recalled, "In grade school, I was a good student. School was a mostly positive experience for me. I once took a gallon jar filled with tiny pink baby mice for 'show-and-tell' for my second-grade friends to see. Ms. Allen, my teacher, didn't hesitate to send me and my mice to the principal. Horrified, the principal called Paul (my older brother) and made him take the mice immediately home. My friends never got to see the nest of pink little bodies, which I thought were so adorable!" Phyllis's young life was shaped by her membership in the Brethren in Christ church. Baptized by immersion at age nine, Phyllis took religion very seriously. "At this age," she noted, "I had no questions…nor did I separate my beliefs from what the church taught. " During her high school years in Upland, she grew skeptical about some of the church's teachings. However, her connection with the church led her to Messiah College in Pennsylvania. This was her first year away from home. At Messiah, she enrolled in education classes to begin her teaching career and met Bob Carlson, her husband of nearly seventy years. Phyllis at first refused to go steady with Bob, but she finally agreed to do so after a year. As she returned to California to continue her studies at Upland College, the two exchanged letters for fifteen months until Bob transferred to Upland for his sophomore year. Phyllis and Bob got married in 1953, while Bob was still in college. The same year, Phyllis graduated from college with a degree in Education and got her initial job as a first-grade teacher. This was a special accomplishment, as no one from her church had been permitted to teach in public schools since before World War II; Phyllis had been "hand-picked to be the first Brethren in Christ woman to come back into the public school system. " She then made the difficult decision to abandon the Brethren head-covering and conservative attire. She moved with Bob to San Anselmo, California, where he started seminary. This was a transformative and freeing time for Phyllis who encountered "an openness to…and discussion about religious ideas. " In 1957, Phyllis gave birth to her first child, Steve. She taught for one year but stopped when her daughter, Chris, was born in 1959. That year, the young family moved to D. C. , where Bob was chaplain at Junior Village, a youth residential center. After Bob was appointed Associate Pastor at Bethel College Mennonite Church, the family moved to Newton, Kansas. In 1962, Phyllis gave birth to her third child, Beth, before moving back to D. C. for three years. There Phyllis taught one year at Oxon Hill Elementary while Bob was in chaplaincy training at St. Elizabeth's Hospital. In 1966, the family returned to Newton, as Bob took a position at the Prairie View Community Health Center, and Phyllis continued her teaching career. Phyllis took early motherhood in stride, maintaining the household while Bob worked. Phyllis's creative and instructive spirit pulled her back to the classroom. Although she taught part-time in the intervening years, in 1969, Phyllis earned her Master's degree in Educational Psychology from Wichita State University. In the '60s and '70s, Phyllis was deeply stirred by the women's movement. Her energy for equality drove her to lead her sixth-grade class in a protest against gender discrimination that nearly got her fired—but her petition to allow girls to sign-up for shop class and boys for Home Ec was successful. In Newton, she created a women's investing club and, years later in Overland Park, forged a community for women by starting a lunch group at Rainbow Mennonite Church. A charismatic and inventive teacher, Phyllis taught fifth and sixth grade in Newton public schools for eighteen years. Her professional accomplishments include creating an individualized reading program, being the first Newton teacher to use a computer in the classroom, and teaching about the stock market with a math program. In 1991, Phyllis received the "Woman of the Year in Education" award in the Newton Kansan for her impressive and impactful teaching career. Phyllis was the first woman chairperson of the Bethel College Mennonite Church Board of Directors and Congregation. She oversaw the construction of an addition to the church, which created ADA access. An active leader, she also served on the Bethel College Board of Directors for twelve years with time on the Executive Committee, as Secretary, and as Head of the Student Affairs Committee. In 1981, Bob and Phyllis traveled to nine Asian countries. Phyllis taught English in Japan, Singapore, and at a refugee camp in Vietnam. The sabbatical trip spurred the couple to return to Asia for a longer duration towards the end of their careers. In 1991, Phyllis and Bob left their Newton home for Tokyo. Phyllis taught sixth grade at Nishimachi International School for four years: "I felt like I learned more from those years of teaching than I had ever learned in my other years," she reflected. "It was an excellent, excellent way for me…to end my career. " Phyllis and Bob returned to the U. S. to be closer to their children and grandchildren. In 1997, they moved to Overland Park. Phyllis found a spiritual home at Rainbow Mennonite. "In our little church," she said, "there is an openness to listening to what other people think and accepting anybody's idea of what this world is about. I find that very, very nourishing. " In retirement, Phyllis gave much of her time to others. She served on a number of church committees, led small groups, taught writing classes at Lansing Correctional Facility, and was immersed in her community. In addition, she volunteered for MCC, Ten Thousand Villages, and the Heart of America Japan American Society. Phyllis was artistically, spiritually, and physically active throughout her life. She was a skilled wheat weaver and quilter, and won a wind-surfing contest. She biked across Kansas, sailed, and climbed Mt. Fuji. Phyllis and Bob traveled to forty-seven states and over eighteen countries. "I would define myself," she said, "as being a searcher—and always a searcher. " Phyllis is survived by her husband Bob Carlson; children Steve Carlson, Chris Ashby, and Beth Carlson; grandchildren Spencer Carlson, Maude Ashby, Matt Ashby, Bryn Carlson, and Griffin Carlson; son-in-law Shawn Ashby; and grandchildren-in-law Julia Poppy, Devin Kaveler, and Jodie Ashby. Her Celebration of Life will be held at Rainbow Mennonite Church, 1444 SW Blvd, Kansas City, KS 66103 on Saturday, June 10, at 11:00 a. m. The celebration will be broadcast live on the Rainbow Mennonite Church YouTube Channel: https://www. youtube. com/@rainbowmennonitechurchkc6685/streams Phyllis's ashes will rest in the Rainbow Mennonite Church Remembrance Garden and also at Bethel College Mennonite Church columbarium in North Newton, Kansas. Phyllis requested that, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) or Rainbow Mennonite Church (RMC) in her memory. Celebration Of Life 06/10/2023 11:00 AM Rainbow Mennonite Church 1444 Southwest Blvd. Kansas City, KS 66103