Phyllis Bax

Funeral Services: Will be held on Saturday, January 25, 2014, at 1:00 p.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenfield with burial in the Greenfield Cemetery. A luncheon will be held at the church following services at the cemetery. The Rev. Dr. Keith Schweitzer will officiate the service.  

Visitation: Will be held on Friday, January 24th at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenfield from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. 

Family Visitation: Will be held on Friday evening at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenfield from 5 to 7 p.m. 

Memorials: To the Phyllis Bax memorial fund to be established by the family at a later date. 

Phyllis Lee Bax was born June 4, 1935, the daughter and only child of James and Clara (Reed) Dwyer. She passed away on Monday January 20, 2014 at Mercy Hospital in Des Moines at the age of 78.

Phyllis spent all of her life in Adair County, growing up on a farm south of Greenfield across the road from the Penn Avenue Church. She graduated from Richland High School in 1952 and continued her education attending business school in Omaha. She returned home after school and took a job at the Adair County Bank as a teller.

After returning home, Phyllis soon met her best friend and lifelong partner, Clifford Bax, and they were married on August 26, 1956 at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Greenfield. Phyllis and Cliff had two sons, Phil and Brad.

After marriage, Phyllis spent the rest of her life working beside Cliff on the farm and as a homemaker. Phyllis could herd cattle, make hay and handle the hogs with the best of them. They lived several places around the county, settling on a farm east of Greenfield and making it home for many years until retirement. Cliff and Phyllis moved to a new home just north of Greenfield in the fall of 2009. This was instantly ‘home’ as Phyllis went to work planting flowers and making her garden in the back yard.

Phyllis loved cooking, mowing her yard, tending her garden and flowers, antiquing, doing the staining and varnishing on the wood projects Cliff made, and keeping her house spotless. Phyllis loved to travel, as long as the trip got you home before dark the same day. She especially enjoyed the ‘peach runs’ she and Cliff made.

Phyllis was very active at Immanuel Lutheran Church throughout her life and could be found in the church kitchen whenever there was a meal to be served. Phyllis and Cliff loved to country dance and on any given weekend would be found at a local dance hall floating around the dance floor. Cliff and Phyllis loved to follow the Nodaway Valley basketball teams and attended most of the home games, maybe just as much to visit with neighbors and friends as to watch the game. Phyllis loved her family and grandchildren and most enjoyed time spent with them, especially the Christmas and birthday shopping trips. Most recently you would find Phyllis making her daily trip to walk at the fitness center, with a stop at Casey’s for coffee and a paper.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents, and husband Cliff passed away on May 1, 2012.

She is survived by her two sons; Phil Bax and wife Marsha of Johnston, Iowa and children, Sarah Bax, Ryan Chamberlin and Chris Chamberlin and wife Sarah; Brad Bax and wife Kaye of Greenfield and children, Cortney Bax and Morgan Bax; four great grandchildren, Chloe, Bella, Johnny, and Halle Chamberlin; other relatives and many friends.

While we have lost her presence with us on earth, she is with us forever in our hearts and memories. We will be together again in heaven.