Phyllis Rae Hansler's Obituary
Phyllis Rae Hansler was born to Leonard Albert Sather and Alpha Elizabeth Sather DeTienne in Tacoma, Washington, on August 24, 1933, and passed away peacefully in her Bonney Lake home on November 17, 2019. She attended Tacoma public schools, graduating from Lincoln High School in 1951. Shortly after graduation she married Tacoma attorney John Hansler, a marriage which would span more than 66 years.
Phyllis was a multi-talented artist. She sang semi-professionally as a young woman and sang in her beloved church choirs at Immanuel Baptist and Bethany Open Bible Church and frequently sang at weddings. As a grandmother she began making teddy bears from salvaged wool coats, presenting hundreds of these teddy bears as gifts. She worked alongside her daughter Debi Bock, proprietor of The Farmer’s Daughter floral shop in Parkland and for some years, she wrote a regular column, “Grandma’s Corner,” for her oldest daughter’s publication, Gentle Spirit Magazine, and distributed beautiful homemade greeting cards featuring photos she had taken, as well as seeds she had gathered from her beautifully tended garden, through her cottage business, “Grama’s Garden.” Her deepest love and loyalty were to her Lord, Jesus Christ, her husband John, her family and her church community. She was a charter member and active participant of Celebration Center Church. Her favorite saying was, “One day at a time, Sweet Jesus.” Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband, John, and one granddaughter, Tiffany Faith Lindsey. She leaves to mourn her children: Cheryl; of Gig Harbor; Bob (Kathylynn) of Tacoma; Debi (Mike) of Belfair; Heidi (Paul) of Puyallup, and Chris (Lisa) of Bonney Lake, 22 grandchildren, and 29 great-grandchildren. Two more grandchildren are expected soon.
A memorial service is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., Sunday, November 24, 2019, at Celebration Center in Puyallup, 13603 86th Ave E, Puyallup, WA 98373.
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