Phyllis W. Rolfe

Phyllis Ann Williams Rolfe was born on April 18, 1934, in Arcola, Illinois to W. Sumner Williams and Marjorie Edith (née Ewald) Williams. She and her family eventually moved to Kankakee, Illinois, where she met the love of her life, Stanley (Stan) T. Rolfe. They married on August 11, 1956. Phyllis earned her B.S. in Education at the University of Illinois. During sorority rush where she eventually pledged Alpha Omicron Pi, Phyllis thought having a nickname would be an appealing trait. She quickly dubbed herself “Flip” or “Flipper.” This nickname was a natural choice for Phyllis and also complimented Stan’s nicknames “Skip” or “Skipper.” As Phyllis and Stan brought their children to Kankakee for family visits, they were never called anything except “Flip and Skip” or “Flipper and Skipper” – one example of Phyllis’s wonderful spirit of fun. Continuing in the spirit of fun, Phyllis was very involved in college variety shows. For someone who later in life eschewed the limelight, Phyllis often was center stage in these performances. This ingrained a lifelong love of musicals and theatre which she enjoyed sharing with her family. Phyllis was a student teacher – aka “Miss Williams” – before she married Stan. After college, Phyllis was the breadwinner of the family while Stan earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees at the University of Illinois, teaching third grade at Lincoln School in Champaign Urbana, Illinois. Coming back as “Mrs. Rolfe” in the fall of 1956, one student was quite upset as Phyllis had not waited for him to grow up and be able to marry her himself. She really was a great catch! In 1969, Phyllis and Stan moved their family to Lawrence, Kansas where Stan served as a long-time professor of civil engineering and in a variety of leadership roles for more than four decades. Jumping into the fun of being a diehard Jayhawk and Lawrence citizen, Phyllis was involved in the Kansas University Women’s Club, the EA Chapter of PEO, and served as a volunteer driver for Meals on Wheels. She also volunteered her time at Lawrence Memorial Hospital in several capacities over the years. Phyllis was an active member of Plymouth Congregational Church where she served on both the Plymouth Women’s Group and the Deacon’s Board. Following her love of art, Phyllis was a docent at Spencer Art Museum on KU’s campus. And she played an important role supporting Stan in his career, hosting many civil engineering department dinners and functions. Family was of great importance to Phyllis. Annual family vacations to Vail, Colorado, surrounded by her children, their spouses, grandchildren, and great grandchildren brought her special joy. She will always be remembered as “Grammy” by her loving grandchildren and great grandchildren. Phyllis is survived by children David Rolfe and his wife, Brenda; Pam McCarville and her husband, Pat; and Kathy Vigil and her husband, Jeff; 11 grandchildren, and five great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her loving husband Stan, sister Joann, and cherished granddaughter Kate. Phyllis was a beloved wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great grandmother, sister, and friend. She passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on April 25, 2026 – one week after celebrating her 92nd birthday. Phyllis had a spunky and sassy personality that will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her. We know that “Flip and Skip” are again dancing together in heaven.

Phyllis W. Rolfe

April 18, 1934 - April 25, 2026