Phylis J. Smith

Phylis J. (Strand) Smith, 82, of Colorado Springs, passed away peacefully on Saturday, Aug. 17, 2024. She was surrounded by family. Phylis retired from a dedicated career as a Personnel Officer at the Colorado State Department of Corrections, in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Phylis Jean Strand was born on July 3, 1942, in Wolf Point, Mont., to Melvin F. and Grace E. (Stilson) Strand. She was a 1960 graduate of Nashua High School, Montana, and was a multi-award-winning Lucky Clover Club 4H member, who was awarded numerous blue ribbons for canning, baking, and sewing.

In 1969, Phylis relocated to Colorado Springs and worked as a secretary in the El Paso Community College (EPCC) library. In 1974, she earned a Secretarial Degree from Blair Business College and went on to work in the Personnel Department at EPCC. It was here that Phylis met Leonard E. Smith. They married on June 25, 1976.

In 1978, Phylis transferred from EPCC to the Colorado State Department of Corrections. In 1984 Phylis earned her Associate Degree from Pikes Peak Community College. When Phylis retired from the Department of Corrections in 1998, she had not one, not two, but four retirement parties!

Phylis had an exuberant smile and laughter that filled a room! She was the "Glue of our family," the "Instigator of Fun," and so brimmed with joy and the love of God, her family, and her cat, Suzy. She was her grandchildren's biggest fan, attending all of their performances and events. She was a passionate Colorado Rockies fan, and had rented stadium suites, taking her family to many Colorado Rockies' "fireworks games," as well as the 2007 World Series against the Boston Red Sox. She also took her family on a Disney and Caribbean cruise.

Phylis loved all manner of crafts, including cross-stitching and crocheting. She loved reading and traveling and was an active and ardent member of Ascension Lutheran Church. As a member of the Sons of Norway, she took great pleasure in her Norwegian heritage. She baked extraordinary breads and pies! She told wonderful stories about "the farm" in Montana, where she grew up. She was a fierce opponent in card and board games, loved a good game of Whist, but was also known for her consummate kindness and generosity.

Phylis is preceded in death by her husband, Leonard, in 1995; brother Melvin Strand; brother Kenneth Strand and his wife, Jean; sister Petra Siemens and her husband, Nick; sister Signe Aspinwall and her husband, Jim; and her step-son, Dale Smith and his wife, Patsy.

Phylis is survived by her children, Laura (Frank) Dorchak, Robert (Michelle) Hagen, and Richard (Carie) Hagen; her step-daughter, Pamela (Charles) Tynan; her grandchildren, Jessica Hagen, Calissa Hagen, Brooklyn Hagen, Anika Hagen and Sandra Hagen; step-grandchildren Sarah Tynan, Sean Smith, and Jason Smith; her brother Palmer (Pat) Strand and brother Robert (Margaret) Strand.

Memorial Services were held at 11 a.m., on Aug. 26, at Ascension Lutheran Church, 2505 N. Circle Drive, Colorado Springs, Colorado 80909. Private inurnment is at the Shrine of Remembrance Mausoleum, Gate of Heaven.

Memorials may be made to the Ascension Lutheran Church Endowment Fund.

Blessed be her memory.