- Date Of Birth: September 2, 1948
- Date Of Death: September 21, 2020
- State: Iowa
Phyllis Sankey, age 72, passed away on September 21, 2020 at the Mercy Medical Center of North Iowa in Mason City, Iowa. Phyllis Helen Illg, the daughter of Herman Joseph and Elvira Justina (Geishecker) Illg, was born on September 2, 1948. She grew up on a farm near St. Joe. In 1966, Phyllis graduated from Bishop Garrigan High School in Algona. She continued her education at the Mankato Business College. On June 16, 1972 Phyllis married August “Gus” Sankey of Burt at the St. Joseph Catholic Church in St. Joseph and became a Navy wife. During Gus’s 30-year Navy career, they lived in Washington, Alaska, Virginia, Texas, Minnesota and California. Phyllis worked as a bank teller, starting at the Burt Bank and then in many of the cities where they were stationed. Phyllis loved spending time with her children and grandchildren. She also enjoyed cooking, sewing, quilt making, needle crafts, drawing, and shopping with family. Despite living with multiple sclerosis for over 25 years and eventually becoming confined to bed, she welcomed her friends and family into her home for many gatherings. She was also always available to dispense advice by phone when family members called regarding cooking dilemmas. She had a kind and humble heart and a listening ear for family members, neighbors and caregivers. Some of her children’s friends remember her home as a refuge during difficult times. Although she couldn’t get up to play, children were drawn to her wheel chair and later her bedside by her interest in and attention to them. She rarely spoke a word of complaint about her disabilities and discomforts, preferring to hear others’ news. Left to cherish Phyllis’s memory are her husband of 48 years, Gus; children, Dave (Bernadette) Sankey of Grass Valley, CA and Kristine (Perry Mailes) Sankey of Corpus Christi, TX; five grandchildren, August and Samuel Sankey, Perry, Anthony and Amaya Mailes; and siblings, Mary Illg of Harlan, Jim (Marcy) Illg of Humboldt, Donna (Denny) Hansen of Mechanicsville, Joe (Ann Gales) Illg of Bode and Sue (Dave Musielewicz) Illg of St. Paul, MN. She was preceded in death by her parents; a sister, Karen Moore; a brother, John Illg; a brother-in-law, Dean Moore; and a niece, Cindy Moore.
