Phyllis Dorothy Tuck Goetz passed from this life onto her next great adventure on May 10, 2018. Phyllis was 84 years old and passed away in the comfort of her own home following a short illness.
Phyllis was born February 2, 1934 in Ohio to Wilfred and Eva Tuck. She attended Lakewood High School. She went on to study and graduate from Ohio State University with her baccalaureate in International Studies, an area of study that was not generally open to women at that time.
Phyllis enjoyed working short stents as a Kelly Girl until Pan American Airways gainfully employed her. Working as a Pan Am stewardess during the glory days of air travel was her dream job. It gave her the opportunity to travel around the world collecting friends, experiences and exotic items.
Following a move to Memphis, Phyllis went on to be employed in 1975 at a small, relatively unknown overnight package delivery company. At Federal Express, she impacted the publications and personnel departments with her skills as a technical writer and worked her way up over the years to be an integral part of many different projects. She did all this while juggling being a single mom. She happily remained with the company until her retirement in 2003.
Upon her retirement, she enjoyed a simple life in Germantown, TN and loved spending time at the public library feeding her love of reading and spending time with friends and family.
Phyllis was loved by many for her kindness and understanding. Her spirit of adventure carried her through many years and gained her many friends.
Survivors include her three children, Catherine Riiska and her husband John of Port St. Lucie, FL; William Goetz and his wife Adrianna of Lakeland, TN; and Elizabeth Foster and her husband William of Dracut, MA. She also leaves behind six grandchildren that she loved with all her heart – Blake, Valentina, Samantha, Julia, Liam and Jack. She was eagerly anticipating the arrival of her seventh grandchild later this summer. She also leaves behind many loving and treasured nieces and nephews. Her parents, her beloved brother, Cliff Tuck and his wife, Carolyn, preceded Phyllis in death.
In memoriam, Phyllis requested charitable donations to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital or the Germantown Public library in lieu of services.