Phyllis Alice Warren

With her sons at her side and her lipstick on, Phyllis Alice Warren, nee Perry, passed away in the early hours of Monday, February 24 th , 2020. She was alert, spry, mobile, and fiercely independent up until the end of her 97 years. Born January 13, 1923, Phyllis grew up in Clarksburg, on the Sacramento River, just outside of Sacramento. She attended Clarksburg High School and graduated as valedictorian at 16. Her parents would not allow her to leave right away for college, so she attended Sacramento Junior College for two years (graduating with honors) before transferring to the University of Southern California. She graduated Summa Cum Laude in 1943 with a degree in Performing Arts. A month after graduation, Phyllis married Harry Warren, and they began their respective careers in radio broadcasting. Job opportunities led to station KALL in Salt Lake City. As "Women's Editor" she interviewed the likes of Burt Lancaster, Gloria Swanson, Ray Milland, and Paul Robeson. Her show was so popular that while on maternity leave, the radio station built a recording booth in her kitchen, so she could continue to broadcast her daily show. She lived in a duplex with paper-thin walls and loved to tell the story of asking her neighbors to "not use their bathrooms" from 2:00-2:30, Monday through Friday while her show was broadcast! She also wrote a regular, feature column for the Salt Lake Tribune. Moving to Sacramento in 1951, Phyllis continued her media career, recording TV commercials for Raley's, Handy Andy, Borden's Milk, Crystal Dairy, and other Sacramento businesses. In 1957, Phyllis applied for a job with Sacramento County. They offered this Phi Beta Kappa, honors- graduate from USC a job in the typing pool. Within a year, she tested for and was offered the job as a Probation Officer. She retired after 32 years as a Senior Deputy Probation Officer. Phyllis had a long and storied career in regional theater. Her roles from high school days (as David Copperfield) to USC productions of Tovarich and Stage Door for which she received "Best Actress of the Year" 2 years running, were varied and demanding. She performed leads in Eaglet Theater productions of Hamlet, Oedipus Rex, Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, The Bad Seed, Sunrise at Campobello, The Diary of Anne Frank and scores of other plays. Her active acting career spanned four decades. From 1970 until 1992, Phyllis wrote, directed, and performed in Jesuit High School's Spring Fling, an eclectic musical review featuring everything from classic opera and Broadway standards to current hits. All the proceeds from the show went to the school's Scholarship Fund. All of the cast, musicians, and stage crew were parents and friends of Jesuit High School. She got doctors and Jesuit priests to tap dance; custodians, coaches and teachers to sing; police officers, judges, stay-at-home moms and retired Aerojet engineers to ham it up. Over the course of its 22-year run, the show earned nearly a half a million dollars for scholarship. Replaced by the PACE Auction and fading in memory as fewer and fewer "Flingers" are around, it needs to be said that the Spring Fling was central to the efforts of nursing Jesuit High School through its difficult, early years. Phyllis Warren was preceded in death by her twin sons, her daughter Riley Anne, and her former husband, Harry Warren. She is survived by her sons and their spouses: Mark (Janet), Phil (Elaine) and Tim (Sue), ten grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren. A heartfelt thanks to her caregivers Roberto Scott and Connie Ortiz, and most of all, Betty Pino King. Not only her caregiver for over 11 years, Betty was a constant, loyal companion and cherished friend to Phyllis. They went to estate sales, movies, luncheons and did a thousand other things together. These people loved Phyllis as if she were their own. They gave her the gift of being able to stay in her home as they cared for her and helped her keep her dignity, poise, and charm. And finally, it must be noted that our brother Mark and his wife Jan give witness to the words care and love. From taking Phyllis to Mass and breakfast every Sunday for years, to arguing with her that her cane did not make her look "old," they were at her side.

A Rosary for Phyllis will be recited on Monday, March 9th at 7:00 PM at St. Ignatius Church. A funeral Mass celebrating her life will be said Tuesday, March 10 th at Noon at St. Ignatius Church. Interment will be private. At her specific request, remembrances can be made to the Jesuit High School Scholarship Fund https://www.jesuithighschool.org/memoriam-giving.