Phyllis D. Burri

Phyllis D. Burri, age 76, of Decorah, IA, died Tuesday evening, January 13, 2015 at Mayo Clinic Hospital, Saint Marys Campus in Rochester, MN. Memorial Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, January 31, 2015 at First Lutheran Church in Decorah with Rev. Chad Huebner officiating. Private Family Inurnment will be in Lutheran Cemetery in Decorah in the spring. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. Saturday January 31, one hour before the service, at First Lutheran Church. Phyllis Darlene Burri was born at home in Howard County, Iowa on November 28, 1938 to Adolph Frederick and Ruth Alberta (Sandvik) Burri. She was baptized at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cresco, Iowa and confirmed at Fremont Lutheran Church, Winneshiek County, Iowa. She attended public school Fremont #3 and Fremont #7 in Winneshiek County and graduated in 1952. She graduated from Cresco Public High School, Cresco, Iowa in 1956. Phyllis was the class valedictorian. Phyllis graduated from the Parish Work Course at Lutheran Bible Institute, Minneapolis, MN in 1959. She graduated summa cum laude from Augsburg College, Minneapolis, MN in 1965. She majored in Sociology and Psychology and had a minor in Religion. During the years she lived in Minneapolis, Phyllis worked for two years at the Lutheran Bible Institute as a bookkeeping clerk and as the Business Manager’s secretary, for five years at the Augustana Home for the Aged as a kitchen aide, at the Swedish Hospital as a dietary clerk and at the Eitel Hospital as a dietary supervisor. In 1971 Phyllis moved to Decorah to live with her mother and father. She worked for eight years as a dietary aide at the Winneshiek County Memorial Hospital, sixteen years as the Office Manager at First Lutheran Church, Decorah, had the care of her parents for three years and then was Financial Secretary for First Lutheran Church, Decorah, Parish Secretary for Burr Oak and Hesper Lutheran Parish, and a home health care aide for Loving Touch, Decorah, Iowa. Over the years, Phyllis made an avocation of reading, singing and her volunteer work. At different times she was active in AAUW, BPW, the Winneshiek County Democratic Party, First Lutheran Church, First Lutheran Church Choir, First Lutheran Ladies’ Aid, the Decorah Chorale, the Northern Lights, Aid Association for Lutherans, Conference Coordinating Committee (ELCA) and Winneshiek County Habitat for Humanity. Phyllis earned a degree as an Associate in Ministry. Phyllis is survived by her sister: Connie (Fred) Boice of St Charles, MN; her two brothers: Gene (DiAnn) Burri of Rochester, MN, and Jim (Linda) Burri of Detroit Lakes, MN; her nephews: David Burri of Rochester, MN, Allan (Kelly) Boice of St Charles, MN, Matthew Burri of Wellington, FL; her nieces: Michelle (Ron) Peterson of Lewiston, MN and Julie (David) Hamilton of Maple Grove, MN; her great-nieces: Vanessa (Tony) Jensen of Rochester, MN, Brandy (Adam) McDonald of Neillsville, WI, Marissa Hamilton of Maple Grove, MN; her great-nephews: Ian Hamilton of Maple Grove, MN, Hunter Peterson of Lewiston, MN, Nathan Boice and Nolan Boice of St Charles, MN; and her great-great-nephew, Caden Jensen and great-great niece, Nora McDonald. Phyllis was preceded in death by her mother, Ruth of Decorah; her father, Adolph of Decorah; and her nephew, Michael Burri of Rochester, MN. Phyllis requested that there be no floral tributes and that all memorials be given to CARE (international food relief) at CARE, Gift Center, P.O. Box 7039, Merrifield, VA 22116-9753 or online at https://my.care.org/site/Donation2?df_id=15600&15600.donation=form1