Phyllis C. Josephs

Phyllis Clare Josephs went to be with the Lord on July 26, 2019.  The family thanks the caregivers of Elmcroft Senior Living  and the staff of Gateway Hospice in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania for the kindnesses and exceptional care they provided.

Mrs. Josephs was born in Lengby, Minnesota, to John H. and Martha (Plevka) Vig.  With her two brothers, she attended a one-room school near her parents’ farm.  As a young child, she interpreted sign language for her two deaf parents, having learned spoken English from visiting relatives and schoolteachers who boarded with the family.

She lived with her grandparents in Fosston in order to attend high school.  After attending nursing school at the University of Minnesota, she joined the WAVES during WWII, and served as a Pharmacist’s Mate, third class.  After the war, Phyllis worked as a nurse’s assistant in pediatrics at the University of Minnesota Hospital in Minneapolis.  She married Clarence Josephs, a veteran and graduating chemical engineer.  The couple moved to Emporium, Pennsylvania, a tiny Appalachian Mountain village, where their family grew to include five children.  They were members of St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Emporium.

The Josephs family moved to Seneca Falls, New York, where Phyllis was active in the community as a member of Calvary Lutheran Church.  She was a loyal neighbor who helped many elderly and needy families.  She cared for her own widowed mother for most of that time as well, and was a loving mother, grandmother and great grandmother.  It was her joy to write letters and cards to many friends and family members throughout her lifetime.  Together, Mr. and Mrs. Josephs celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.

Survivors include two married sons and two married daughters:  Steven (Jane) Josephs of San Diego, CA; Mark (Jill) Josephs of Potsdam, NY; Kay (Robert) Webster of Martinez, GA; and Elaine (Fred) Schreiber of Aliquippa, PA.  Also surviving are sixteen grandchildren and twenty-one great grandchildren.

Interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery in Washington D.C.

Arrangements have been entrusted to Darroch Cremation and Funeral Tributes, Inc., 2640 Mill Street, Aliquippa www.darrochfuneralhome.com

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