Phyllis Reicher

Post a Message of Sympathy | View Messages of Sympathy | Printer Friendly


Phyllis Reicher, 102, beloved wife, mother and grandmother, dedicated educator and child advocate, and top-flight athlete and adventure traveler, died on September 15 surrounded by her family. Born in Syracuse, she was in the second graduating class of The Putney School in Vermont and earned her bachelor’s at the Cornell University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 1945 where she studied animal husbandry. She received her master’s in early childhood education from Syracuse University in 1972, where she pursued research with Professor Margaret Lay-Dopyera.
Following Cornell, Phyllis worked as the “play lady” in the children’s ward at the Syracuse Memorial Hospital, where she met Dr. Norbert “Norb” Reicher, an obstetrician and gynecologist. They were married in 1947, and she used her animal husbandry skills on their five children. Phyllis taught at the Syracuse University Nursery School and Skytop Daycare and later was a pre-school teacher in the East Syracuse Minoa and Syracuse City School District, including at Frazier Elementary School. She retired in 2000 and continued to work with students in kindergarten and first grade classrooms in the Syracuse City School District, volunteering for more than 15 years.
Committed to advancing the lives of children and their families, Phyllis served on many boards including the Syracuse Association for the Education of Young Children and Huntington Family Center. More recently she volunteered at the Syracuse Health Department, filing birth certificates for newborns, some of them the offspring of her pre-school students, decades earlier. She would often boast of seeing her students out in the community, including her mail carrier for several years and her butcher at a local market. Phyllis also volunteered with the Cazenovia Library, sorting children’s books for the annual book sale, and with the InterFaith Works of Central New York literacy program.
Phyllis led an athletic and adventuresome life. She was an early ski racer at The Putney School and Cornell and later taught skiing at the Cazenovia Ski Club. She rollerbladed and biked extensively in Central New York and Florida and kayaked on her beloved Cazenovia Lake. She enjoyed adventure travel, including kayaking in the Arctic, trekking in Tibet, biking across France and snorkeling in Honduras. You can listen to Phyllis reminisce about her life on StoryCorps.
Phyllis is survived by her children Tom (Mary), Andy (Tessa Huxley), Doug (Camille Tisdel), Dan (Carole Parker) and Eden Anker (Phil); daughter-in-law Rita Reicher; grandchildren Martha, Alexander, Erica, Zina, Bryn, Madeline, Jon, Haley, Will, Graham, Alyssa, Kimberly and Jessie; and great grandchildren Scarlet, Henry, Josie, Lucy, Margot, Luke and Nova; and many nieces, nephews and cousins.
The family extends their heartfelt gratitude to the dedicated caregivers who provided comfort and support to Phyllis in her later years. We are especially grateful to Anntonette (Toni) Clarke, whose exceptional kindness, attentiveness and compassion were a true gift to Phyllis and our entire family. Toni’s presence brought comfort, dignity and warmth to Phyllis and we are forever grateful.
Visitation will be on Saturday evening September 26 from 5-7PM at Sisskind Funeral Service, 3175 E. Genesee Street, Syracuse. A memorial service at the family home on Cazenovia Lake will be held later. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Phyllis Reicher’s name may be made to the Huntington Family Centers or the Syracuse City School District Educational Foundation.