Phyllis M. Zylstra, 64, of Pella, passed away Monday, Dec. 23, 2019, at her residence. Funeral services were held Monday, Dec. 30, at Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella. Interment was in Oakwood Cemetery in Pella. Memorial contributions may be designated for Hospice of Pella and Calvary Christian Reformed Church video ministries.
Phyllis Marie Van Wyk was born Feb. 22, 1955, in Oskaloosa. Her parents, Jane Ann (Van Wyk) and Ralph John Van Wyk, had two younger children, Delwin and Ruth. Phyllis graduated from Lynnville-Sully High School in Sully with the Class of '73. During high school, Phyllis excelled academically, sang in the choir, participated in plays, and was a cheerleader. She and David Lee Zylstra were united in marriage Nov. 23, 1973, at Sully First Reformed Church where Phyllis had made profession of her faith.
Phyllis and David were blessed with two children, Teresa Lynn and Kyle Dean. Phyllis and David raised their children in Pella with a commitment to maintain a Christ-centered home.
She worked at Dahm Dental and at home through Heritage Lace. Later, Phyllis took over as the bookkeeper of Zylstra Welding, Inc. In 1982 Phyllis began making Dutch costumes for Pella’s Tulip Time. This talent eventually turned into a business called Custom Costumes with a good friend, Jacki Craver. They made new Dutch costumes each year for the Tulip Queen and her court, the Dutchesses, and members of the community. Along with this sewing, Phyllis did quilting, which led to her participation in the Pella Area Quilter's Guild. She eventually made a myriad of quilts along with lots of fun and lots of friends.
As her children married, Teresa to Brian Eschen and Kyle to Shalene Van Wyk, along came grandchildren; Phyllis was very involved in their lives and activities.
She was a faithful member of Calvary Christian Reformed Church in Pella and forever involved in Bible study groups, Coffee Break, and teaching Sunday school.
In 2014, Phyllis was diagnosed with breast cancer, which ultimately consumed her health. Phyllis's years on earth were marked by her handiwork and other creations that continued despite her battle with cancer. Dec. 23, 2019, she passed away at her home at the age of 64 years with her care-giving husband, David, by her side.
She is survived by husband David; her daughter Teresa and her husband, Brian Eschen, and their children: Brianna Joy, Josiah David, and Risa Jubilee of Danville, CA; her son Kyle Zylstra and his wife, Shalene, and their children: Lydia Elise, Aidan Coy, Norah Hendrix, and Gerrit Jones of Pella; along with her brother Delwin Van Wyk and his wife, Karen, of Newton; and her sister Ruth Renaud of Sully. Phyllis’s mother, Jane Ann Van Wyk, passed away in 1976, and her father, Ralph Van Wyk, re-married, Ruby (Van Der Kamp) Van Zante who survives her. Phyllis then acquired two stepsisters and a stepbrother, Barb (Van Zante) and Paul Fynaardt of Oskaloosa, Bev (Van Zante) and Rodney Van Maanen of Lynnville, and Brad Van Zante of Grinnell, who also survive along with a brother-in-law and sisters-in-law, Rodney Zylstra and Sharon of Pella, and Brenda (Zylstra) Suter of Norwalk, OH; and several nieces and nephews.
Phyllis was preceded in death by mother, Jane Ann Van Wyk; and her father, Ralph J. Van Wyk; her parents-in-law, Paul Marvin and Celia A. (Van Kooten) Zylstra; and a brother-in-law, Tim Suter.
