Phyllis Griffith Waddell
June 7, 1936 – October 28, 2023
Our dear mother, Phyllis Griffith Waddell, 87 of Leesburg, Florida met her Lord and Savior face to face on Saturday, October 28th at 6:03 pm. She is survived by her three daughters and their families: Kathy (George) Mulford, Lorna Stalcup (Bobby Avant), Jan (Jim) Thurnau, eight grandchildren, Shannon (Tonya) Mulford, Stephen (Victoria) Mulford, Seth (Jennifer) Mulford, Rebecca Miller (Tony DiSabitino), Rory Stalcup, Brooke Thurnau (Stephan Blatt), Bethany (Nick) Orluski, Noah Thurnau, and 16 great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband William “Jack” Waddell, son Benton Lee Waddell and granddaughter Shari Mulford Oulman.
Phyllis was born on June 7, 1936 in Jewell Ridge, Virginia to Lee & Blanch Griffith. She and her husband moved to Oneco, Florida in 1956; a few years later they moved to Sarasota and resided there until 1998. In 1998 they moved to Leesburg, Florida.
She had a very diverse career. In Sarasota she worked at Sears in their Cafeteria and store, was a school bus driver for many years and helped her husband in his cabinet shop as well as cleaning houses and businesses. She was also an operator at an answering service and a caregiver. When they moved to Leesburg, she worked at First Baptist Church in their daycare and Mother’s Day Out program. When she was still able, she and her best friend, Pat Hilton, would come to her church, Grace Bible Baptist, and clean the nursery and toys each week. She was an avid reader and enjoyed puzzles, word search, coloring, and southern gospel music.
She was outgoing and loved people, was always willing to help those in need. She especially loved her family and was so proud of her children. Looking at their pictures was a great joy and blessing to her.
A private family service will be held at a later date.
