Phyllis B. Seilkop

Phyllis Seilkop, age 83, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, January 30, 2013, surrounded by her family. She is survived by Herbert, her husband of 63 years. She was the mother of Steve (Donna Sivulka) Seilkop and Sandy (Rick) Lingo, and grandmother of Stacia (John Borntrager) Lingo and Allison Lingo. She was embraced as a sister by her in-laws: Marilyn and Ken Seilkop, Sue and Tom Shackleford, and Liz Kanter. She was the loving aunt of Julie (Troy) Hammons, Amy (Jerry) Harrison, Dave (Amy) Seilkop, Brad (Katie) Shackleford, Adam (Migdalia) Shackleford, Jacqui (Ken) Roell, and Jay (Jen) Kreimer. She adored her great nieces and nephews: TJ and Ashley Hammons; Alex and Sam Harrison; Jakob, Melani, and Kyle Seilkop; Matt, Nick, and Lynzie Fielder; Jillian, Jonathan and Jeremy Kreimer; Nathan, Andrew, Trevor, Ella, Elijah and Caleb Shackleford. She was the grateful patient of the compassionate Mercy Mt. Airy Hospital staff and Drs. Budke, English, Draper, Morand, Hughes, and Van Jaarsveld. She is survived by countless friends who were enriched by her knowledge, wisdom, and sense of humor. She will be missed by her feline companions, Regie and Benji. She lived by the ideals of the Serenity Prayer and was a model of strength, courage, and perseverance to all who were blessed to know her. She graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1950 and she, with her husband, was a Bearcats Basketball and Football Booster for sixty years. She was a member of ZTA Sorority, and she continued her involvement with the organization’s alumni activities. She was a primary teacher for Finneytown Schools for 25 years, and she was also a lifelong learner who read voraciously, wrote beautifully, and mastered daily crossword puzzles. She was a lifetime member of St. Matthew United Church of Christ (which merged with Fleming United Church of Christ) where she served as the church historian, sang in the choir, directed religious dramas, and taught Sunday school class for fifty years. Phyllis and Herb were adventurous travelers who toured every state and over 100 countries on every continent, but Phyl also cherished her home and the seasons in Cincinnati, the city where she was born. Phyllis was a talented seamstress who wove her love into handmade doll clothes for the Salvation Army, mittens for Valley Interfaith clients, and ornaments, clothes, and home décor for her friends and family. On Saturday, February 9 at Fleming Road UCC, loved ones are invited to a visitation with family from 10:00 – 11:00 AM, a service where we will celebrate Phyllis’s life at 11:00, and a luncheon at noon. In lieu of flowers, you can make donations to Fleming Road United Church of Christ (691 Fleming Road, Cincinnati, OH 45231) or Shriner’s Hospital for Children (2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607 or http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org).