Phyllis Marie Andrews was the tenth of twelve children born to Mae Lyons Bentley and Jeff Pat Bentley on May 13, 1945, in Floyd County, Kentucky. When she was a young girl, the family moved to Pickens, West Virginia, which she always said was the best place ever to grow up. Growing up in Pickens, she loved the mountains, fishing in the streams, and square dancing on a Friday night.
Pickens is where Phyllis met Roger, the love of her life. They celebrated their 58th anniversary in August 2022, before his passing on April 10, 2023. Even after 58 years, they would still hold hands, kiss each other good night, and pray through the difficulty of aging and sickness. You could still see the tenderness they shared as they looked at each other from across the room.
Phyllis was not only a wonderful wife but also a strong role model to her two daughters, Debby and Dawn. Although the girls did not inherit her green thumb or passion for projecting, they did inherit her joy, energy, and single-minded focus on raising children. She was adamant about doing what was right and good. She was passionate about the value of education. She was always proud of her daughters and ensured they knew their value as young women. They held these values close to their hearts as they raised Drew, Robert, and Willa.
Phyllis was probably best known in her family and amongst her friends for her never-ending faith in God. No matter what life threw at her, she would trust God to do what was best. When someone needed prayer, wherever they were, Phyllis would stop and say, “Let’s pray now. Do you want to?” The girls would get up every morning to see their mom sitting quietly in the hallway, reading her Bible and praying. As Phyllis grew weaker, Roger would read scripture to her, and eventually, it became his daily habit, too. Phyllis had three grandchildren who also knew their grandmother was, first of all, a woman of faith. When they were in a crisis, they would say, “Let’s call Grandma. She has a direct line to heaven.”
For the boys, she was the grandma who would play basketball, go fishing, read stories, and rock them to sleep. For Willa, she was like a second mother as she cared for her daily while her mom was teaching. Willa remembers eating mac and cheese on her hippopotamus plate and taking walks in the neighborhood to feed turtles in the pond.
Phyllis passed on March 7, 2024, at the home of Dawn, Dan, and Willa in Ellsworth, Kansas, where they were caring for her while she had Alzheimer’s. She was preceded in death by her husband, her parents, and nine of her siblings: Elmer “Bo” Bentley (and wife Fonetta Bentley), Clarence Bentley, and Patricia Long (and husband Clyde Long), in addition to 6 infants, one of whom was her twin.
She is survived by her daughters, Debby Somerville and Dawn Finnegan; her sons-in-law, Gray and Dan; her grandchildren, Drew, Robert, and Willa; her sister, Linda Brown, and brother Pat Bentley, Jr.; and her sisters-in-law, Jill Wasmer Bentley and Kay Perrine Bentley.
Her family will miss her greatly.
While living in Buckhannon, Phyllis and Roger were members of the Tennerton United Methodist Church, where their joint service will be held on Monday, March 18th, 2024. The family will receive visitors at 11:00 a.m., with the celebration of life service following at 12:00. There will then be a graveside service in Upshur County Memorial Park in Tennerton, WV, followed by lunch at the church. Everyone is welcome to come celebrate their lives!
Online condolences may be made to the family at www.polingstclair.com. Poling-St. Clair Funeral Home is in charge of the arrangements.
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