April 27, 1927 – June 29, 2021
Phyllis passed away peacefully in her sleep at the age of 94 in the early morning of Tuesday, June 29, 2021, at Bethany Didsbury.
Phyllis was born in the old brick hospital at the south side of the Town of Didsbury, Alberta. She grew up on the Hughes family farm west of Didsbury near Westcott. Phyllis was the eldest child of James (“Jimmie”) Hughes and Jennie Finlay. When Phyllis was born, her father purchased their first car, a Chevrolet, because Jimmie did not think a new baby should ride in an open carriage.
As a young girl, Phyllis rode horses, played games and spent a lot of time with her Grandmother Mary Hughes helping her make cookies and buns. Her mother, Jenny, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis when Phyllis was 7 years old and by 12, she was doing much of the housework and making bread and butter each week, and cooking for the thrashing crew during the harvest. Despite the demands upon Phyllis’ time, she was able to participate in sports such as hockey and baseball, piano lessons as well as to continue to ride horses. Jimmie Hughes organized the West Didsbury Beef Club in 1941 (later called the West Didsbury 4-H Beef Club) and Phyllis along with her younger brother, Bob, were among the first members.
Phyllis graduated from the Calgary General Hospital School of Nursing in the class of 1950. She was chosen to train in Washington state to learn how to set up the first recovery room at the Calgary General Hospital. She worked as head nurse in the Recovery Room, and as head nurse in the Operating Room with responsibilities for training the student nurses. She was progressive for her time and she, along with two close friends who also nursed at the General Hospital, purchased a house in Crescent Heights in the early 1950’s.
She met Dave Bricker through the United Church Young Peoples group and they were married two years later on August 18, 1956, at the Westcott United Church. They settled east of Chestermere Lake near Dave’s parents’ farm. Phyllis soon retired from nursing to support her husband in a growing farming operation and raise a family. She was a busy young wife with a large garden who helped with field work and feeding the livestock while raising 3 active children who required transportation to various activities such as 4-H, music and dancing lessons, swimming, and Cubs and Brownies. Phyllis was highly active in the Chestermere community including several years as President of the Chestermere Women of Unifarm. The annual summer trip to visit her aunts in Kelowna and Penticton was always a highlight for the family.
The family moved to the Hughes family farm in 1976 where Phyllis rekindled friendships and acquaintances from her youth. Phyllis was an active member of the Westcott Women’s Institute that was originally founded by her Grandmother Hughes, and later a member of the Jackson WI and Parkhill Women’s Guild. She enjoyed hosting family gatherings, sewing, gardening, canning, genealogy, and participating in local community events. Throughout her life she remained close with her friends from the days she was nursing as well as her friends in the Chestermere area. During their later years, Phyllis and Dave regularly attended Sunday service at the Cremona Congregational Church which she continued to attend after Dave’s passing in 2013.
Phyllis is survived by her three children, Gordon, Ross (Rose), and Joan; grandchildren Alexa and Kyle; and sons of her late brother and sister-in-law, Bob and Marj Hughes; Doug, Fred, and Scott (Susan) and their three children, Jenni (Steven), Michaela, and Connor.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers a donation may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Alberta, Suite 100, 119 – 14 Street NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 1Z6. Messages of condolence may be left for the family at www.myalternatives.ca.
