Obituaries

Phyllis King Craig, 97

Phyllis was active in the New Haven community as past president of the Wives of Rotarians, a member of the Woodbridge Congregational Church Ladies Guild, the Woodbridge Garden Club, and the Whitney Center.

Phyllis King Craig, 97, passed peacefully after a brief illness on Dec. 23, 2012 at the home of her youngest daughter, Florice Craig of Seekonk, MA, with whom she lived for the past 10 years.

One of four children, Phyllis was born in Minneapolis, MN on Sept. 13, 1915 to Alfred Benjamin King and Florice Payne. Following graduation from New Haven High School, Phyllis attended Wheaton College in Massachusetts for two years and the Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in Boston, MA for one year. She then worked in the office of The Alfred B. King Company in North Haven until her marriage to John Henry Craig at the home of her parents on Sept. 2, 1939 in Hamden.

A devoted wife and mother, Phyllis was committed to raising her children. She enjoyed reading and was an ardent gardener, filling her home with her own roses, wild flowers, and orchids. She was an expert needleworker, proficient at knitting, cross-stitching, crewelwork, needlepoint, and hand loom weaving. She took great joy in making gifts for her beloved family, especially her grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

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Phyllis was active in the New Haven community as past president of the Wives of Rotarians, a member of the Woodbridge Congregational Church Ladies Guild, the Woodbridge Garden Club, and the Whitney Center. As a member of the Friends of Counted Embroidery in Newtown, she made Christmas ornaments that were hung on the White House Christmas tree.

Phyllis was predeceased by her husband John in 2001 and her older sister and brother, Florice and John, and by her younger sister Mary. She is survived by children Melissa Parham, John Craig, James Craig, Laurie Benton, and Florice Saad, 11 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

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Phyllis' memorial service will be held Dec. 29, 2012 at 1 p.m. at the Newman Congregational Church in Rumford, RI. Graveside services will be held in New Jersey at a later date.

Donations in lieu of flowers can be made to the National Parkinson Foundation,  www.parkinson.org.

Notices of Remembrance can be left at the Perry-McStay Funeral Home website, www.perrymcstay.com


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