Phyllis Irene Glasel

Phyllis Irene Glasel, 85, of St. Joseph, passed away, Wednesday morning, May 21, 2008, at The Willows in St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, May 24, at Starks & Menchinger Family Funeral Home, 2650 Niles Road, in St. Joseph, with Rev. Joan Olesen officiating. Burial will be private at a later date. Visitation with the family and friends will be from 1:00 to 2:00 Saturday just prior to the service. Memorials may be made either to the Berrien County Cancer Service or to Saron Lutheran Church. Those wishing to share a memory or sign the guest book online may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Phyllis was born March 21, 1923, in Benton Harbor. She was one of three children born to Charles and Amanda Johnsen. Phyllis was a life-long member of Saron Lutheran Church in St. Joseph. She was graduated from Oberlin College with a degree in Music. Upon graduation, she taught music in Mt. Pleasant, MI. An accomplished musician, she accompanied many local artists on both the piano and organ. Phyllis worked for over 30 years as an Executive Secretary at Modern Plastics from which she retired. She thoroughly loved to travel and particularly enjoyed trips to Sweden to visit her cousins. Phyllis is survived by her nieces, Linda Scherer of St. Joseph and Judy Peterson of Chicago; best friend Catherine Biespiel; and by many great-nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brother, Ted Johnsen and by her sister, Marie Scherer.