Phyllis Loveday Ferry
January 13, 1910 - October 8, 2007

Phyllis Ferry was an incredible woman, who lived an amazing life, a life spanning nearly a century, two continents, four states, and countless memories. Through it all, Phyllis remained a woman of great passion, great strength, and an even greater love for her family. More than anything, she was a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend, who devoted her entire life to the people she loved.

Phylliss story began on a cold, rainy winter day at the turn of the 20th Century, as the calendar turned to 1910 in Plymouth, England, on the southern tip of the nation. Those were times of great change around the globe, as the airplane and the automobile were transforming the world. On January 13, 1910, a dreary, damp Thursday in Plymouth, George and Bessie (Langson) Coad celebrated their own big change, with the birth of a beautiful baby girl, a daughter they named Phyllis Loveday.

Phyllis was the fifth of the couples six children, joining her siblings Bessie, George, Lillian and Violet, and her younger sister Florence. Times were hard on the family growing up, however, and when she was just a little girl, her father moved to America, settling in Iron Mountain, Michigan, to find a better job.

When she was five years old, Phyllis and her family boarded a boat to come to the U.S. and join her father, which proved to be a very harrowing and dangerous journey during those war-torn days of World War I. Eventually the family landed at Ellis Island, New York, and like so many before and since, Phyllis found her new home on American soil.

The reunited family soon moved to Muskegon, Michigan, into a little home at 402 Southern Avenue. Phyllis went to Muskegon Public Schools, and finished the 11th grade at Muskegon High School, before she left to work fulltime and support her family.

She took a job at the Brunswick Corporation, and like her siblings, Phyllis generously gave all her income to her dad to make ends meet. Times were tough on many in those days, and their family even took in two men as boarders in their home.

When she was 18, Phyllis met a handsome, older gentleman named Richard Ferry, who was quite taken with the pretty, shy young Phyllis. They began dating, soon fell in love, and were married later that same year, on September 11, 1928 in Muskegon.

Richard worked at the Anaconda Corporation to provide for his new bride, who was soon enough busy caring for their growing family. It wasnt long before the couple became parents, with Richard Jr. joining the family. Their sons Fred, John, William and Robert soon followed, with Bonnie later rounding out the happy family.

Times were very hard for everyone during the days of the Great Depression, but they had each other, and their close extended family, as well. Every Sunday, rain or shine, they all went to Phylliss parents home for dinner, a very special tradition. Phyllis was especially close to her parents and family.

As the years went by and their first 3 children began to get out on their own, Richard packed up the family and moved to Pownal, Vermont in the late 1940s, starting the Warren Wire Co. Later they moved to Long Island, New York, where they started the Hi-Temp Wire Company. Phyllis was an integral part of both businesses, being a woman of great energy and intellect, with a keen business sense, too.

As hardworking as she was, Phyllis was far from all work and no play. She was also a very creative, fun-loving woman, who enjoyed ceramics, crocheting, knitting, and loved having flowers around her too. She also loved to get together with friends or family and play card games, with her natural competitive streak often shining through. That was Phyllis, though. She was a very vibrant woman, very opinionated, very honest, frugal with her money, yet so generous with her time, energy and love.

Phylliss mother died in 1951, which she took very hard. Wanting to be closer to her father and family back home, she moved back to Muskegon in 1954. There she soon celebrated the birth of her first grandchild, John, the first of so many grandkids and great-grandkids she adored. She was a wonderful Grandma, who was very close with each of her 13 grandkids over the years.

Sadly after 25 years, Phyllis and Richard divorced. Later on, she suffered an illness, and moved back to Long Island to recuperate at her son Richards home, when she couldnt work.

After she recovered, Phyllis moved to Connecticut, where her daughter Bonnie and her husband Glenn Knapp and son John and daughter-in-law Barb lived. Phyllis remained there for many years.

In 1997, Phyllis returned once again to Muskegons sandy shores, where she went to live in Pine Grove Manor Apartments. She stayed active, even in her late 80s, and was one of the founding members of the church her son Robert helped form, Emmanuel Congregational Church in Twin Lake.

In August of 2006, Phyllis realized she no longer could live alone, and moved in with Robert and his wife Lynda. On Monday, October 08, 2007, Phyllis sadly died, at the age of 97.

Phyllis was a wonderful woman, who lived a long and full life, a life so full of family, friends, and fond memories. She saw so much in her lifetime, a life spanning nearly a century, a life lived across two continents, four states, and countless memories. Through it all, Phyllis lived each day devoted to those she loved most, as a loving wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She will be so greatly missed.

Phyllis is survived by her 4 sons, Richard E. Ferry of Muskegon, Fred Ferry of FL, William (Barbara) Ferry of NY & Robert (Lynda) Ferry of Muskegon; 1 daughter, Bonnie (Glenn) Knapp of CT; 1 daughter-in-law, Barbara Ferry of CT; 13 grandchildren & 19 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by a son, John, 4 sisters, Violet Hilton, Lilian Cole, Bessie Stephens & Florence Barnard; 1 brother, Wm "Lil Red" Coad, grandson, Phillip & longtime family friends, Ronald Hays & Louis Pitts.

A celebration of Phyllis' life will be held Friday, October 12, 2007, 11:00 AM at Clock Chapel with Rev. Robert Ferry officiating. Interment at Oakwood Cemetery.

Visitation is scheduled for Thursday, 2-4 & 6-8 PM at Clock Life Story Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to Harbor Hospice. Please visit Phylliss Memory Page at www.lifestorynet.com to share a memory or photo of her, or to sign the online guestbook.

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