Lightner, Rosaleen Phyllis 1924-2012

LIGHTNER, BAYLEY, TAYLOR

Posted By: Volunteer Transcriber
Date: 4/11/2020 at 12:16:58

Rosaleen Phyllis Lightner
1924 - 2012
Des Moines

Rosaleen "Phyllis" Lightner of Des Moines passed away peacefully at the age of 87 on February 4, 2012, at the Scottish Rite Park Health Center after a courageous battle with cancer.

Phyllis was born on June 12, 1924, to Samuel and Sarah Regina Bayley of Carlow, Ireland and grew up in Carlow. Her primary education commenced at age 5 and from there to various levels to College of Commerce and Technology. Her interest was accounting but she did not use it until several years later.

In the meantime, she went to Belfast, North Ireland, where she worked at a British Command Medical Center as part of the war effort. It was in Belfast, during the first week in January 1944, that she met her future husband, Mel Lightner, when she accompanied a Red Cross volunteer to visit an American patient in the hospital. She and her future husband were married a year later at St. James Anglican Church at Ramsden on the Heath in Oxon County, England about fifteen miles from Oxford. On January 29, of 2012, they celebrated their 67th wedding anniversary.

Her employment here in Des Moines was with the former Bankers Life Company where she retired on October 26, 1984, after 25 years of service. Now the Principal Financial Group.

Phyllis was an active member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church for over 50 years where she served as President of both of their guilds, taught Sunday school, ushered and much more. She was a member of the Des Moines Women's Club, Eastern Star and Daughters of the Nile. Her interests were travel, golfing and playing bridge.

She and her husband loved to travel, visiting Ireland over 30 times and visiting England, France and Spain, touring all 50 states attending public health conferences in the United States and Madrid, attending family reunions up and down the west coast and visiting relatives and friends across Canada and several cruises, including her travel on the Queen Mary to the United States in 1946. They were last in Ireland in August 2011.

A Memorial Service celebrating Phyllis' Life will be held at 10:30 a.m. this Saturday, February 11, at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church located at 5720 Urbandale Avenue in Des Moines. The family will greet friends following the service in Kem Hall at the church, where lunch will be served.

Burial of the cremains will take place at a later date in the Lightner Section of Parkview Cemetery in Hastings, Nebraska. She is survived by her loving husband, Mel, one sister, Christine Eleanor "Norrie" Taylor, many special nieces and nephews, extended family members and friends. She was preceded in death by her parents and one brother, Griffith Bayley of Ireland.

Phyllis was loved by everyone who knew her. May she rest in peace and her shining light perpetually shine on each of us. In lieu of flowers, memorial contribution may be made to St. Andrew's Episcopal Church or to a charity of your choice. ~ The Des Moines (IA) Register Wed 08 Feb 2012.