Phyllis Ann Boyd died on November 27, 2023 at Christiana Care Union Hospital in Elkton, MD shortly after her 89th birthday, following a brief bout with pneumonia.
Phyllis was born in Wilmington, DE in 1934 to the late Ella M. (Mullin) Bartlett and Edward N. Bartlett. In 1952 she graduated from P.S. DuPont High School, where her favorite subjects were English and Music, themes that would compose much of her life story. As a teenager Phyllis began her career with the Internal Revenue Service in its Wilmington office, working there as an Administrative Assistant until she retired in 1997. Phyllis began taking piano lessons in the 9th grade and went on to become an accomplished pianist who enjoyed playing informally for public and private audiences. She attended Trinity Methodist Church in Wilmington as a young girl, then later converted to Lutheranism and attended Zion Lutheran Church in Wilmington, where she was a regular worshiper and a member of Zion’s Altar Guild. After retirement, Phyllis served as a volunteer driver for Luther Towers in Wilmington, helping to transport residents for medical appointments. From childhood, Phyllis was an avid movie goer and a fan of many genres, ranging from traditional movies of the 1940’s to the method-acting extravaganzas that captured audiences’ attention during the 1950’s and right up to current Coen Brothers’ neo-noir films. She loved them all. Phyllis also became keenly interested in musical theatre during her adult life, owing largely to the burgeoning career and subsequent award-winning Broadway successes of her niece Susan Stroman. Beyond her love of music, movies, and theatre, Phyllis was a fervent reader of non-fiction books, especially of true-crime novels. She also had an amazing memory for details surrounding historical events, and an outstanding knack for spelling almost any word in the English language. Above all, Phyllis was a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. She is survived by her son, David W. Schweizer (Susan L. Abbott) of Massachusetts, and by her grandsons, Robert D. Schweizer of New York and Ryan J. Schweizer of Washington State. Phyllis was predeceased by her brother, Charles H. Stroman of Wilmington and by her sister, Audrey V. Painter of Wilmington.
Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday, December 9, 2023 at McCrery & Harra Funeral Home, 3710 Kirkwood Hwy, Wilmington, DE where friends may call after 10:00 a.m. Burial is to follow at Gracelawn Memorial Park, 2220 N. DuPont Hwy, New Castle, DE. To send condolences visit: www.mccreryandharra.com.
