Phyllis Verdon

Phyllis Jean Verdon, 81, of Lansing, IA, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loving family Saturday, February 10, 2024, at her home after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson's disease. Memorial services will be held  Saturday, February 24th,  at 11:00 AM at United Methodist Church in Lansing with Pastor James Buckhahn officiating. Burial will be at Oak Hill Cemetery in Lansing. Friends may greet the family from 9:00 AM until the time of services on Saturday at the church. Thornburg-Grau Funeral Home in Lansing is handling arrangements. The service will also be streamed on the funeral home's facebook page:  https://lansingiowaumc.org/Lansing%20Iowa%20UMC/lansing-umc-worship-live/ 

Memorials can be directed to the family and will be split between the charitable organizations that Phyllis was passionate about.

Phyllis Jean Verdon was born on December 23, 1942, to parents John F. and Marguerite D. (nee Gibbs) Beck at home in Lansing, IA. She was the third child in a family of five. As a child, Phyllis liked to play in the creek bottoms near her home with her sisters and girlfriends, and later enjoyed climbing Mt. Hosmer to take in the spectacular view. She liked playing with her neighborhood friends and staying with Grandma Mattie Beck by the lumber yard. She loved ice skating by the ball diamond as a teenager and being on the river in the summer. Phyllis was popular as a student at Lansing High School, where she was a member of the girls' basketball team and the varsity cheerleading squad. She was a member of the student council as well as the high school choir, where she was inspired by Mr. Fred Eyers, her mentor. She attended the First Presbyterian Church and was a student of Pastor Jim Coates; she and John were married by him at that same church.

Following graduation in May 1960, she became the school secretary for the Eastern Allamakee Community School District. After a year at EACSD, she moved to Iowa City and became a medical secretary for the University of Iowa Hospitals. She had met and admired Johnnie Verdon from afar, and soon their romance began to bloom. On July 20, 1962, she and John were married. John was completing his third year of college in La Crosse, WI, and had no income. She often said "he married me for my money and I even paid for both our rings!". They moved into a tiny apartment just off campus (that had needed a lot of work) and she found employment at Pyroil Company. John graduated in the spring of 1963, and was hired to teach science at Longfellow School. Their first son Todd Alan was born in La Crosse on December 15, 1963.

In August of 1966, they moved to Vermillion, SD, where John had entered an academic year science master's degree program. It was probably their most difficult year as a couple, with Phyllis delivering their second son Michael Paul on January 30, 1967. The family moved to Waverly, IA, following graduation in August of 1967. Phyllis joined the 'faculty wives' and spent time assisting and supporting education. She also opened her heart and home to two families in need of child care. In 1971, the family bought their first home and welcomed their third child; "Oh, another boy," said John when he arrived after the baby had been born. They kept waiting for a girl that didn't happen. Jason John joined the family on August 20, 1971.

Phyllis and John supported their sons in all their activities including football, basketball, baseball, tennis, track and field, and musical endeavors. They attended every game in every sport and every music program for twenty years and even toured with Jason's high school chamber choir to England, Scotland, and Wales.

Phyllis and John became active in the Shell Rock United Methodist Church, where they were youth leaders for 17 years, and Phyl served on the church council and sang in the choir. They enjoyed their years in the Shell Rock Music Association Swing Shows, where Phyl repeatedly danced in the girls chorus line and did many skits to the pleasure of the audience.

When the boys were older, she looked for work outside the home and was hired as an administrative assistant at CUNA Mutual Life Insurance Company in Waverly. She was a highly respected and admired member of the company, working there for 19 years until her retirement in 2002. Later that year, John and Phyl moved back to Lansing, where they have remained ever since, living next to the Mississippi River they loved so much.

During retirement, Phyllis started a book club in Lansing that was called the Driftless Area Literary Society. They enjoyed a good book discussion with a "little wine and chocolate". Phyllis was also a devoted member of many local organizations and spent countless hours volunteering her time. She served as the secretary of the Lansing United Methodist Church board for several years. Phyllis helped with the formation of the "Friends of Pool 9" group, serving as secretary for many years and logged over 2000 hours of service.

Phyllis was passionate about travel and enjoyed numerous trips with John, close friends, and family. Some of her favorite trips included Hawaii, Nova Scotia, Alaska, and a 4-week Europe trip with Jason and Lynn. Phyllis was also passionate about music and enjoyed Broadway musicals, concerts, and listening to her extensive collection at home.

Phyllis was well known for her cooking skills. Whether it was a holiday meal, her famous dessert dishes, or her legendary roast beef, they were created to perfection. Some say that if the wind was right, her roast beef could be detected across the river channel!

Phyllis was a dedicated spouse, mother, grandmother, and friend. She loved her sons dearly, as well as their wives, her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. She had so many good times sitting with a little one on her lap reading stories or playing in the water on the sandbars above Lansing. John and Phyl organized a week-long "summer camp" every summer (that became ten days or longer) for all the grandkids to come and swim, fish, and sit by a bonfire telling stories about their parents and all sorts of other things. The kids loved it, as did their parents. They wanted to instill that love of the river in their 'grands' as well.

Her life carried a hidden burden we recognized later in life as Parkinson's disease; she reluctantly accepted it and did what she could, but it continued to worsen and control her life. She loved her family, her sons, grandchildren, great grandchildren, and, of course, her beloved "Johnnie" and he did the best he could to take care of her.

Phyllis is survived by her husband H. John Verdon of Lansing; her sons: Todd A. (Deanna) of Onalaska, WI, M. Paul (Colleen) of Colfax, WI, and Jason J. (Lynn) of Eau Claire, WI; grandchildren: Logan (Abby), Andrew (Carla), Ellie (Anthonie), Trevor (Annie), Joseph, Jared (Rebecca), and McKenna; great-grandchildren: Aryanna, Mabel, and Harrison, all of Wisconsin; siblings: Pat (Gary) Stirn of Guttenberg, IA, John (Diana) Beck of Plano, TX, Millie (Jack) Fink of Lansing, and Jim (Cathy) Beck of Green Valley, AZ; in-laws: Walter (Kathy) Verdon of Dayton, OH, and Karen (Gary) Galema, Janet (Bob) Henkel, Michael (Marian) Verdon, all of Lansing; and numerous other family members and friends.

The family would like to sincerely thank the staff of Crossing Rivers Health Hospice for the excellent care that Phyllis received during the last few weeks of her life.