Phyllis E. Forster

Phyllis Eleanor Forster 1926-2020 Phyllis Eleanor Forster age 93 of Toledo, Ohio passed away on Saturday, July 25, 2020 at Kingston Residence of Perrysburg. Her devoted daughter Marcia Young and son Jeff Forster were by her side when she made her transition. Phyllis was unable to recover from a brief illness that began one week ago. Phyllis was born December 31st, 1926 to Eleanor and Hugh McDermott. She shared her childhood with her brother Donald who preceded her in death and grew up surrounded by her grandparents and many aunts. She married James E. Forster on December 10th, 1949 and later gave birth to son Jeff and daughter Marcia. Her husband James passed away in 1994. After family, Phyllis’ two great loves in life were knitting and teaching. She happily served for over twenty years as a teacher’s aide at Glendale and Glendale-Feilbach Elementary Schools and the halls still echo with her rousing piano renditions of many beloved children’s songs. Remembering many of her students, she would proudly talk about their adult lives and successes reminding family that they started in her class at school. Her spare moments were always filled with some form of crafting. Knitting took the lead and her projects ranged from making sweaters and socks for her grandchildren, to caps to be given to newborns in maternity wards. The click of knitting needles was a familiar sound to friends and family. In later years she taught many people to knit, still giving lessons well into her nineties at the Maumee Seniors Center and to many staff at the Kingston Residence. She and her husband owned a small cottage on a lake near Hillsdale, Michigan where she spent many hours watching her grandchildren grow up, engaging them in late-night Uno and Kings-in-the-Corner card games. From her home base on the lake house porch, she made many friends including engaging with the local Amish community. She seldom ventured into the lake itself, only swimming when the temperature went past 100 degrees. With husband Jim, she was a life-long Ohio State Buckeyes football fan spending many Fridays and Saturdays in Columbus RVing and watching games. She was the rare person who could listen well and also tell a colorful story. She often regaled friends and family with her stories from her ruining her mother’s dining table by tap dancing on it to making a simple encounter in the grocery store into a hilarious tale. Often referring to those people who couldn’t answer her probing questions as, “not knowing if they were afoot or horseback!” Over the years she made many friends and acquaintances, in fact her family referred to her as the “Kevin Bacon” of Toledo. It wasn’t unusual for her to meet someone she knew in a crowded restaurant or retail store hundreds of miles from home. She was a wonderful mother and grandparent, a highly valued friend and a woman with a strong will. She will be dearly missed by son Jeff and wife Barbara of Troy, Michigan, daughter Marcia and husband Don of Luckey, Ohio. Granddaughters Erica Rayner-Wodzak of Brunswick, Ohio and Michelle Kratt and her husband William of Waxhaw, North Carolina. Grandsons Nathan and wife Sarah of Arlington, Massachusetts and Michael and wife Kaitlin of Washington, D.C. Her seven great grandchildren Lorna and Evan children of Erica; Emily, Anna and Autumn daughters of Michelle; Lily daughter of Nathan and Elliott son of Michael. Step-granddaughters Becky Donnally and husband Mike of Dublin, Ohio and their daughters Megan, Katelyn and Lydia and Kim Wells and husband Brent of Delaware, Ohio and their son Jackson and step-grandson Paul Young of Brian, Ohio. The family would like to thank close and loving friends Chris Sutphin and Marcia Helman who were always there for Phyllis and Julie Waidelich-Roberts of the Kingston Residence Staff who showed exceptional respect, compassion and friendship during the last few weeks of Phyllis’ life. There will be no funeral and the internment at Woodlawn Cemetery will be private due to the pandemic. A Celebration of Life Ceremony will be announced at a later time. Contributions in her name can be made to Hospice of Northwest Ohio or First Congregational Church of Toledo.