Phyllis was born in Brooklyn, New York. She attended Hope College where she met her husband-to-be, Duane, and they were married in Dimnent Chapel in 1950. They lived in Illinois and Pennsylvania where P.J., as she was known, taught the elementary grades and music. She was a wonderful, caring teacher who loved the children, and they all loved her.
She and Duane moved to Holland after retiring. She was active in several hereditary organizations including the Magna Charta Dames and the D.A.R. and served as national president of the Colonial Dames Seventeenth Century. She was an active member of Third Reformed Church where she taught Sunday School to the first and second graders. P.J. had a beautiful voice and performed the soprano solo work in the Messiah, the Elijah, and many other oratorios with several musical societies in Illinois and Pennsylvania. She sang with the orchestra and chorus at Orchestra Hall in Chicago and at the Academy of Music in Philadelphia.
P.J. was preceded in death by her parents, Selbourne & Blanche (Smith) Sherman; and by her daughter, Rebecca Ann Booi.
She is survived by her husband of 72 years, Duane Booi; son, Jeffrey & Nancy Booi; grandson Michael, and his wife Laura; and their children, Hayes and Casey; and grandson Andrew.
The family wishes to thank Appledorn Assisted Living Center and Kindred Hospice for their loving care.
Visitation will be held on Friday, July 8, 2022, from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. at Langeland-Sterenberg Funeral Home, 315 E. 16th Street, Holland. A service to celebrate her life will take place at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 9 at Third Reformed Church, 111 West 13th Street, Holland. Burial will be in Pilgrim Home Cemetery. Memorial gifts may be made to Third Reformed Church or Hope College
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