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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Obituary: Samis, Phyllis P.

Age 92

SAMIS, Phyllis P. (Age 94) Passed away February 1, 2015 and is eternally dancing with her beloved husband, Clint in the presence of their Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Born in Waitsburg, Washington on May 24, 1922 to Frank Proffer and Abigail Carothers Proffer, she was raised by her grandparents, Phoebe Carothers and W.O.

Price, whom she called Momma and Daddy.

The family moved throughout Washington, Idaho, Oregon and California as they followed the crops.

Phyllis graduated from West Valley High School in 1941.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, she was the second woman hired to work at the Seattle Boeing plant, cutting and fitting sheet metal skins on the planes, also attaching guns and ammunition containers inside the B-17 and B-19 planes.

Phyllis was Miss Boeing in 1942.

When the war ended, she returned to Spokane, where she met the love of her life, Clinton Samis, at a Grange dance, she commenting that “she wanted the tall one” and he telling his brother “Will you look at that tomato!”

They were married in September 1946, raising their family on their small Moran Prairie farm.

Phyllis dedicated her life to raising her family and worked for 13 years at Sprouse Reitz.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Clint.

Phyllis is and will be greatly missed by her children, Norma Samis, Bette Samis Munroe, Jim and Joyce Samis and Bruce Stillwell; her sisters, Lorain Proffer and Sarah Brady; and Clint’s sister and brother-in-law, Bonnie and Mac McNeilly, and the generations that followed.

A Celebration of her life will be HELD AT THE QUALITY INN at 8923 E. Mission on Saturday, February 28th at 3 pm.

She will be laid to rest at Fairmount Memorial Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, please feel free to make donations to Meals on Wheels, 12101 E. Sprague Ave., Spokane, WA 99206.