Phyllis Parmater

Phyllis Parmater was born on November 13, 1929 in Burton Michigan and died October 19, 2015, less than a month shy of her 86th birthday.

She was raised in Kalamazoo and was a graduate of Kalamazoo Central High School and remained friends and played bridge with several of her classmates.

The focus of her life was her family, but she loved to work. She worked most of her life, starting as a waitress when she was only 13 (she lied about her age.) She met her future husband, Richard Parmater, while working at the soda fountain of Dietrich Pharmacy. As a secretary she worked at Farnsworth Chevrolet and State Farm. For twenty years she worked for Dave Davies’ marketing company which helped nonprofits groups raise money.

She loved a challenge; she tried her hand at oil painting, when she was 60 she learned how to be a grill cook at her brother’s restaurant; and she and her friends, Mary Loftus and Silvia Caldwell, learned to tap dance. She was an avid bowler. She loved her cats and dogs and her garden and passed that passion on to her children.

She was intelligent, well read, and always had a home full of art and music and interesting people!

She was the fifth of seven children. Her parents were Herbert Fairfield and Olive Chichester. She was preceded in death by her siblings Gerald Carter, Lenora Bussell, Virginia Lane and Lawrence Fairfield; and her husband, Richard Parmater. She is survived by her children Sherry Parmater of Kalispell Montana and Vicki Parmater (Fred) Harris of Mason Michigan; her grandchildren Gabriel (Megan Sebo) Perlmutter and Paul Perlmutter, great grandchildren Levi, Hudson and Parker Perlmutter, her brother Richard (Silvia) Caldwell and sister Betty Siscoe, her sister-in-law Pamela O’Boyle, her niece Sandy Haywood, several nieces and nephews and her special friend and love, Bob Traverse.

If you wish to make a donation in Phyllis’ name, the family suggests Pretty Lake Camp at PrettyLakeCamp.org. This camp was a great respite and joy for her during her childhood.

Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, November 6 at Life Story in Plainwell Michigan.