Phyllis M. French, age 92, of Rice Lake (formerly of Barron), passed away on Thursday, April 9, 2020 at Dove Healthcare in Rice Lake.

She was born on June 30, 1927 in Milwaukee to Peter and Mary (O’Neil) Lee.  She moved to Dunn County in 1928 and she attended Plainview Grade School, a state graduated school with two teachers.  Phyllis and her brother, Carrol played piano duets and won many prizes at the Dunn County Fair.  She sang in the choir in high school and also played piano.  After graduating from Colfax High School in 1945, she went to work at the Ridgeland Farmers Union, working there for 7 years.  She lived with Mrs. Dr. Hayes in Ridgeland during the week. 

Phyllis married Victor French on June 20, 1952, after which she moved to Barron in 1952 with Victor.  She worked at Lampert Yards in Barron until Deb was born.  She later worked for Federated Coop and then started working for the Bank of Barron from 1964 until 1984, when she retired. 

During retirement, she did a lot of volunteer work at Barron Memorial Medical Center and was president of the Legion Auxiliary.

She is survived by her children, Debbie (Brian) Heldt of Harleysville, PA and Jeff (Pam) French of Barron; grandchildren, Charissa (Eric) Fine, David (Erika) Heldt, Peter (Shareen) Heldt, Jeff, Jr. (Darla) French and Tim (Kristi) French; and 12 great-grandchildren; she is also survived by nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents; husband; grandson, Andrew Heldt; and brother, Carrol Lee.

A private funeral service will be held at this time.  For further service information, see www.calvarybaptistbarronchurch.com or, face book: Calvary Baptist Church, (Barron, WI). 

In lieu of memorials, donations can be made to Calvary Baptist Church in Barron. 

Arrangements are being handled by Rausch and Steel Funeral Home in Barron.

Last Update: Apr 13, 2020 6:38 am CDT