Phylis Lee Vaught Marsh, a longtime resident of Hermiston, passed away on March 20, 2024 at the age of 86 in Mesa, Ariz., where she had been staying for the past few years.
Phylis was born in Norwood, Colo. on Aug. 20, 1937 to Clyde and Lottie Vaught; she was the oldest of their three children.
She talked about moving a lot through her school years. When asked why they moved so much, she said her dad told her he wanted to know what was over that next hill. On April 28, 1962, she married Ronald “Ronnie” Marsh. They lived in Las Vegas for a few years and then moved to Hermiston in 1966, where they raised two children, Kevin and Charlotte.
Phylis worked as a bookkeeper in Hermiston for many years. She was a member of the Hermiston Emblem Club 215 and Hermiston Eagles Auxiliary 2909 and made many wonderful friends. They had a kitchen band, The Prairie Chickens. The band played at the county fair and in several parades. She was part of the Blue Mountain Cloggers. She volunteered to read with the children at Highland Hills Elementary School. She really enjoyed sharing her love of reading with the kids and helping them learn to read. She also loved doing jigsaw puzzles on the computer with her great-grandchildren and watching their faces light up when they would finish a puzzle.
Phylis is survived by her brother, Kyle (Lois) Vaught, Irvine, Calif. and sister, Vicki Clark, Portland; children, Kevin Marsh (Rene), Rainier and Charlotte Gill, Mesa, Ariz.; grandchildren, David Marsh, Hector Enriquez, Amanda (Marc) Rodrique, Nathan (Kelli) Marsh, Stephan Gill and Jeremy (Jennifer) Ciszek-Gill; 15 great-grandchildren and one great-great granddaughter; as well as her nephews and their families and many bonus grandchildren and their families.
Per her wishes, no services were held.
No, the date is not a typo; life got in the way so this didn’t get done. But as Mom would say, “Better late than never.”
Please share memories of Phylis with her family at burnsmortuaryhermiston.com.
