1920
Phyllis
2010
Phyllis Salisbury
July 27, 1920 — July 8, 2010
Phyllis Patrick Salisbury of Wolfsville died July 8, 19 days short of her 90
th
birthday, surrounded by her family. She had been married to Grant Angus Salisbury for nearly 69 years. She was known to her friends as “Pat.”
Pat was born in Omaha, Nebraska, July 27, 1920, and graduated from North High in that city in 1938 where she was President of the National Honor Society. As a member of her school’s debating team, she and her debating partner were the first women to win the “National Degree of Distinction”. After a year at Stephens College in Missouri she transferred to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, to study Journalism. She was a “straight A” student and served as an editor of the student newspaper and the “Royal Purple” yearbook. She left Kansas State after her junior year to marry Grant on October 31, 1941, a few short weeks before the start of World War II. Grant had graduated from Army Air Corps Flying School, winning his “wings” as a pilot and a commission as Second Lieutenant. They were married at Randolph Field Air Base near San Antonio.
Their first child Suzanne was born in the summer of 1942, shortly before Grant’s squadron left for England, where he flew Spitfires. While her husband was overseas, Pat cared for Suzanne, volunteered as a nurse’s aide at the hospital, and took some courses at Creighton University in Omaha. The conclusion of the war brought them a second daughter, Wendy, in 1944, and a return to Manhattan, where Grant managed the Kansas State radio station. In 1947, their third daughter Melissa was born and soon thereafter, Pat completed the course work for her bachelor’s degree from the university. Grant’s career in journalism took the family to East Lansing, Michigan and back to Topeka, Kansas where their fourth child, Tod, was born in 1952. Soon thereafter, the family moved to suburban Washington, D.C. when Grant became an Associate Executive Editor of
U.S. News & World Report
.
Pat developed a passion for early American antiques. She and husband Grant spent many happy weekends adding pieces to their growing collection. They moved their family and antiques to Marker’s Delight Farm in Myersville in 1960, where Pat dedicated herself to the careful restoration of their farmhouse. The old log house needed some improvements—flush toilet to replace the two-hole privy, plumbing throughout the house, and a complete job of electrical wiring. Workmen swarmed around the house. So did something else: black snakes. One morning, a carpenter called out to Pat: “How do you feel about black snakes? A six footer was sunning himself on the new kitchen counter. Pat said, “Can you get rid of him?” “Sure” said the workman, grabbing a shovel to carry the snake outside where the black creature was summarily headed. Several of his cousins met the same fate. Though a girl from the city, Pat proved to be a talented farm wife. She adored gazing out to the pasture on the side of the mountain at their Jersey cow, Pansy, their two horses Thunder and Lightning, and their small herd of Angus cattle. They also later raised Angus cattle on their second farm, “Peace and Plenty” in Goshen, Virginia.
Pat was an energetic woman, who kept an immaculate house and was an excellent cook for her family. She shared her husband’s interest in politics and current affairs. A prodigious correspondent, she instilled in her children a shared love of writing and literature. Up to the end of her long life, she was still reciting poetry. In more recent years, she was ably assisted by, and grateful to, her “Chief of Staff” Paula Main. She was a lifelong member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority which she pledged in her first year at Kansas State University. She was also a lifelong Congregationalist, starting as a two year old at the Plymouth Congregational Church in Omaha. She served as president of the Wolfsville PTA, as a member of the Board of Managers of the Record Street Home, and was also a staunch supporter and member of the board of Birthright of Frederick.
S
he prided herself on being the matriarch of a large clan which includes her children, Suzanne Salisbury Beckwith, Wendy Salisbury Howe and husband Kevin, Melissa Salisbury Bristol and husband William, and Tod Patrick Salisbury and wife Barry. Grandchildren include Suzanne’s children Kimberly, Amy, Megan, and Ben, stepchildren William and Anne Marie; Wendy’s children Erik, Jennifer, Sarah, and Walter; Melissa’s children Emily and Will; Tod’s children Grant II, Patrick, Rex, Luke, and Caroline. Her eleven great grandchildren are Christian, Lydia, Jordan, Hannah, Peter, Charlotte, Cecilia, Amy Abigail, Alessandra, Calvin, and Paul Joseph.
Family members gathered for an old fashioned wake. A private service of Christian burial will be held Monday. Contributions in lieu of flowers may be sent to any of the following: Birthright of Frederick, The Record Street Home, and Saint James School.
Arrangements by Stauffer Funeral Home, Frederick. Online condolences to the family may be expressed at www.staufferfuneralhome.com
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Phyllis Salisbury, please visit our flower store.