Phyllis Margaret St. John

Phyllis Margaret St. John, née Gaskill, resident of Lake City, FL, died on October 5, 2023, at the age of 95.

Phyllis is survived by her loving family: two children, Martin (Diane) of Lake City, and Nancy Rogers (Norman) of Bell; five grandchildren, Steven (Moira) and Jennifer (Brian) of Sarasota, Matthew (Katie) of Lake City, Caitlin (Sean) of New York City, and Tristan (Tara) of Buckfield, Maine; and seven great-grandchildren, Kayla, Brody, Maui, Justin, Layla, Lilith, and Cyrus. She is predeceased by her beloved husband of nearly 70 years, Archie, her son Andy, her parents, and brothers Reginald and Charlton.

Phyllis was born on May 27, 1928, in Ilion, New York, to Charlton C. Gaskill and Bessie Fay Pansing and raised in Cincinnati, Ohio. She was a popular and athletic student while in school, graduating from Western Hills High School in 1946. Phyllis followed her ambition to train as a Registered Nurse and pursued that goal at Deaconess Hospital Nursing School in Cincinnati, where she made lifelong friends. During her training she met her future husband, Archibald St. John, whom she married in 1950. The young family soon relocated to Sarasota, Florida, where the couple raised their three children, Andrew, Martin, and Nancy. Phyllis spent several happy years working as a nurse in the successful practice of Dr. Reaves Wilson in Sarasota. In 1994 she and Archie retired to Lake City, where son Martin and his family were living.

After her retirement from nursing, Phyllis was a volunteer for Hospice, helping many dozens of patients and their families through the years. Phyllis was active in her church communities at the First Presbyterian Churches of Sarasota and Lake City, where she was involved in the Presbyterian Women and Martha Circle. She loved to play cards with her church friends.  Archie and Phyllis also devoted over 15 years to volunteering at Lake City’s Christian Service Center. The couple enjoyed travelling together with Elderhostel (now Road Scholar), learning about new places and cultures and making friends from New Orleans to San Salvador, Bahamas.

A memorial service for Phyllis will be held on October 24, 2023, at 2 pm at First Presbyterian Church in Lake City, the Rev. Ken Goodrich presiding. Donations in Phyllis’ memory may be made to the Florida Hospice & Palliative Care Association (www.floridahospice.org) or Montgomery Camp and Conference Center /www.montgomerycenter.net)

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