2. Charles Richard Phelps
was born on Oct 9 1915 in Woodruff, KS. He was buried in May 1988 in Lake
Washington, Seattle, WA. He died on May 9 1988 in Tacoma, WA (in Rocky's home).
He has reference number 109. He and Mom took me to the airport in the morning
to see me off to Paris for my first visit to JoAnn. The flight was delayed several
hours, and I arrived in Chicago too late to make my overseas connection. Upon
landing, I was paged at the airport. Expecting to get instructions on catching
another flight to France, I instead was asked to call a phone number in Tacoma
which I didn't recognize. It was the hospital. I spoke briefly to a minister
who told me Dad had died, then I spoke to Mom. We decided that since Dick was
on his way to Tacoma, I should go on to Paris. JoAnn and I had a rather subdued
vacation...
Rocky
His ashes were spread into Lake Washington near a park which their living room
window overlooked. After Mom's (Audrey's) death in 1993, her ashes were also
spread into the lake at the same place.
Rocky He was married to Audrey Ilene Gutzman in Feb 1940 in St Francis, KS.
All his life, Dad had maintained that the wedding was in 1939, since Dick was
already on the way. He never did reveal the true date.
Rocky.
3. Audrey Ilene Gutzman
was born on Dec 17 1919 in Cambridge, NE. She died on Oct 18 1993 in Tacoma,
WA.(1) She was buried in Nov 1993 in In
Lake Washington, Seattle, WA. She has reference number 116. Audrey Phelps,
passed away on Monday, October 18. She would have been 74 years old in December.
She had just that afternoon returned from her month-long trip to London and Paris
to visit with my oldest daughter, her first grandchild, JoAnn. Also, my youngest
daughter, Jennifer spent two of those weeks with her. It was a wonderful experience
for all of them.
I met her at the airport, and we got home to her house at 5:00 that evening.
She was so excited about her vacation she could hardly talk fast enough! She
had so many stories to tell! I expected her to be ready to go to bed right away,
with the 10-hour plane ride and all, but instead she wanted to go to dinner with
us. We went to our favorite Mexican place, since she hadn't had a "real"
Mexican meal for a month. She just talked on and on about her trip, the sights,
the people, JoAnn's new house... everything!
After dinner, she was feeling very tired, so we dropped her off at her home.
On Tuesday, I called her three times during the day, and was worried when I
got no answer. I went to her home at about 4:00 in the afternoon and found her
in her bed, looking very peaceful. The medical examiner estimated her death
to have been before midnight, shortly after going to bed.
None of us was ready for her to go, but she certainly went quickly and easily,
as she wanted. She was very worried that she would end up in a nursing home
or living with someone and being a burden. She died quickly, easily, and happy.
Her ashes were spread into Lake Washington in the same place where Charles' ashes
were spread, near a park which their living room window overlooked. Children
were:
i. Richard
Evan Phelps (Private).
1 ii.
Arthur Dan "Rocky" Phelps.