Obituary of Phyllis Marie Berthold Furney

Phyllis M Furney, 85 years young, passed away on Wednesday, March 20, 2013 at the Quality Care Health Center in Lebanon, TN of natural causes. She was born May 18, 1928 and raised in Utica, New York by Joseph and Agus Marie Berthold. Phyllis worked at General Electric and as a phone operator for Bell Telephone in Utica. She married Frank A. Furney in July of 1946 moving to Florida and then New Jersey where she raised five children, Phyllis M Ririe, Frank J. Furney, Kathryn Longo, Suzanne Furney, and Elizabeth Esparza. After her divorce in 1976 Phyllis worked as a waitress in the executive dining hall at Ortho Clinical Diagnostics in Raritan NJ for 10 years before moving to Doylestown, PA with her son Frank and his wife Wendy where she worked as a cashier at Erkert Drugs for four years before she retired. After moving to Lebanon, TN with her son and family she became very active with her church, Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints from 1975 until Oct. 2011, teaching Sunday School, doing home teaching and running the Church Library. In addition to her five children, she is survived by 10 grandchildren, David, Justin & Suzanne Ririe; Mandy, Marta and Eric Esparza; Frank Longo, Vanessa Ferguson, Wendy Hardy and April Furney. There are 9 great-grandchildren: Ashlyn, James, Nathan, Noah, Hailey, Jonah, Darien, Ethan & Mikayla. Phyllis loved to bake and we were never without cookies, cakes and zucchini or banana bread. She loved all her family with all her heart and never missed a birth or birthday always pulling all the family together to celebrate. All will remember her sweet personality and kind heart. Phyllis will be greatly missed by her family, friends and those she had touched in her life. There will be a memorial service on Saturday, March 30th at 2:00 pm (CT) at The Church of Jesus Christ of Later Day Saints at 105 Peyton Rd, Lebanon, TN 37087. In leiu of flowers please send donations in her name to the Lebanon Senior Citizens Center 670 Coles Ferry Pike, Lebanon, TN 37087.