Phyllis Armstrong, 85, of Greenfield

Funeral Services: Will be held on Tuesday, October 10, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. at the United Methodist Church in Greenfield with burial in the Iowa Veterans Cemetery near Van Meter, Iowa, at 2:00 p.m.  A luncheon will be held at the church immediately following the services.  Pastor Melinda Stonebraker will officiate the service.  The Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield is in charge of the professional arrangements.  Online condolences may be left to the family at www.lambfuneralhomes.com.

Open Visitation:  Friends may call on Monday, October 9, 2023, from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield.

Family Visitation:  The family will greet friends on Monday, October 9, 2023, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m at the Lamb Funeral Home in Greenfield.

Memorials: To the Phyllis Armstrong Memorial Fund to be established by the family at a later date.

Phyllis R. Armstrong was born June 21,1938 to Alfred F. and Grace (Koester) Boll in Gladbrook,Iowa. She went to be with the Lord on Thursday, October 5, 2023, at the Community Care Center in Stuart, Iowa at the age of 85.

Phyllis graduated from Steamboat Rock High School as valedictorian in 1955. When she was 17, she fell in love with Gerald Theodore Armstrong and the day after she turned 18, they married. Gerald and Phyllis started their lives together in Cedar Falls, Iowa and had four children. Phyllis was a stay-at-home mother for many years. She taught piano lessons out of their home and worked various jobs alongside her husband including owning a restaurant, managing an apartment building and being an office assistant.

In 1973, she followed her husband into the ministry where they served the United Methodist Church for 20 years. In the late 1980’s, she graduated with honors from Buena Vista College with a degree in education. She then worked as the Treatment Program Manager at Woodward State Hospital School for 12 years. She retired in June 2000 and moved to Greenfield to become a full-time grandma.

Phyllis was an active and dedicated member of her local churches, engaged in many activities that included women's group, choir, children's programs, Bible school, and bell choir. Beyond the church, her heart belonged to her grandchildren, horses and the moments spent reading and tending to her gardens. Her true zest for life shone through in her insatiable wanderlust, as she embarked on journeys around the world, visiting over 42 countries on 6 continents.

She is preceded in death by her husband Gerald; her parents, Alfred and Grace; stepmother Frieda; sisters, Arlene and Ardyce; daughter, Elizabeth, in infancy; grandson, Nicholas, in infancy; and great grandson, Adrian, in infancy.

She is survived by two daughters, Deborah Armstrong (Ann Brierton - deceased) of Des Moines and Gwen (Steve) Johnston of Greenfield; son, Greg (Deana) Armstrong of Winterset; seven grandchildren, Angela (Jason) Handy, Jennifer (Shaun) Shelley, Ashley (Max) Zander, Adam, Brittany, Sarah, and Rachel; and four great grandchildren, Syanne, Kheera, Marshall, and Aliyah.