Phyllis Louise Daly

Phyllis Louise Daly, age 66, of Reisterstown died Jan. 15, 2009 at Gilchrist Hospice.

Born April 28, 1942 in Delaware, she was the daughter of Evelyn L. Taylor Williams of Newark, DE and the late Stephen Williams.

Beloved wife of Alexander M. Daly III; devoted mother of M. Kimberley Daly and her partner Suzanne Long and children, and Denée Daly and her husband Glen Wills; adored "Grammy" of William "Zan" Wills; dear sister of Stephen D. Williams and wife Holly Williams and family. She is also survived by many beloved family and friends.

Phyllis was a retired Materials Manager and had been involved in local politics, Reisterstown-Owings Mills-Glyndon Coord. Council, and Chartley Homeowner's Association.

Friends may call at the ECKHARDT FUNERAL CHAPEL, P.A. 11605 Reisterstown Road, Owings Mills, MD on Friday, January 23, 2009 from 3-5 and 7-9 pm.

Memorial services will be held at the Eckhardt Funeral Chapel, P.A. on Saturday, January 24, 2009 at 1:30 pm.

Following the service, a Celebration of Phyllis' Life will be held at All-Saints Episcopal Church, Groff Hall 3:00 – 5:30 pm, 203 Chatsworth Ave, Reisterstown, MD.

Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Phyllis' name to the Phyllis L. Daly Memorial Scholarship Fund c/o Chartley Homeowner's Assn. PO Box 408 Reisterstown, MD 21136 or to the Glyndon Women's Club PO Box 22, Glyndon, MD 21071.

Member of the League of Women Voters, where she was chairwoman on a variety of committees, and eventually served as a County Board member. During the late 70's and early 80's, Phyllis was as a member of the Republican Central Committee. Daly also served as a successful Campaign Chairperson for State Delegate Bert Booth. She was involved with ROG, the Reisterstown Owings Mills Glyndon Coordinating Counsel; serving as President and I-795 Expressway committee chair where she lead the charge to make the long-proposed Northwest Expressway a reality. (Phyllis also credits former Senator Charles "Mac" Mathias for carrying the issue to the federal level, and leading the effort to secure the last of the federal highway grant money that ultimately made the project possible.)

Over the past 40 years, many people have come to know Phyllis Daly because of all the volunteer work she has done with various organizations. Many, many, many of you may have some story to tell of something special that this lady has said or done for you over the last 40 years. During the course of those years, she has remained a vital member of this community, and she has made an indelible impression on many of her fellow residents. A good number of you might know that she is smart and funny and wise and loving. Many of you have remarked that she is so joyfully full of life and wonder and energy. Even more will tell you that she is also one determined lady.

Phyllis feels strongly that it is important to give back to the community. She feels that citizen apathy is the biggest danger that any community faces. For a community to remain strong and vital, the citizens of that community must actively participate in guiding it and sustaining it, she asserts.

"People can accomplish a lot when they work together toward a common goal," says Phyllis.

Phyllis Daly has a long history of community activism that certainly bears witness to the veracity of that statement. She is also something of a character, in all the best senses of the word. It is a reflection of her essential nature, which is marked by moral excellence and firmness.

Phyllis has been active in a variety of community groups over the years. One of the first groups that she joined was the League of Women Voters, where she was chairwoman on a variety of committees, and eventually served as a County Board member. Phyllis particularly appreciates the bi-partisan approach that the League employs in addressing the key issues pertinent to the community. This allows any woman to become involved in the issues affecting her community. It is about people coming together to serve the common good, and affords each member an equal voice in that dialogue.

During the late 70's and early 80's, Phyllis was as a member of the Republican Central Committee. She also served as a successful Campaign Chairperson for State Delegate Bert Booth.

Phyllis was involved with other organizations as well. She was very active in the PTA while her daughters were in school, and served as PTA President for a time. During that time, the primary concerns were encouraging very active parental participation in the schooling, and keeping class sizes low to ensure a good environment for quality education to take place. "And fund raising. That's always a PTA President's biggest job, whether they want to admit it or not," Phyllis asserts.

Toward that end, Phyllis was very proud of the work she did with the memorable Reisterstown Elementary School Balloon Ascension Fundraisers.

"It was a huge event, and everyone participated. We released 12,000 balloons into the sky, all at one time. It was an amazing spectacle. Then, for the 1976 ascension, all the kids dressed up in revolutionary war costumes to celebrate the bicentennial. Each balloon that we sold had a card on it with the donors name and address, and people would mail the cards back and tell us where they had landed. One little boy got a card back that said his balloon had flown all the way to New England." Phyllis says with enthusiasm, then looks chagrinned. "Of course, we don't do that fundraiser anymore. We didn't know then about the negative environment impact the balloons might have."

One of the most significant community contributions that Phyllis has made to date took place during her time with ROG, the Reisterstown Owings Mills Glyndon Coordinating Counsel. One of the first items of business that then-new organization decided to tackle was making the long-proposed Northwest Expressway a reality. In 1977, Claire Bosley, founding member and first President of the group, tapped Phyllis Daly to lead the charge.

The Northwest Expressway had been languishing for over 30 years. With little support at the state or federal levels, and with zero funding, it seemed doomed to remain nothing more than a dotted line on the land use planning maps. Construction of this Expressway, I-795, would greatly improve commuter travel. More importantly, it would relieve a great deal of the tremendous pressure on the overburdened Reisterstown Road, and restore Main Street's status as a community thoroughfare, rather than a commuter bottle neck.

At the time, Reisterstown Road was consistently listed as one of the ten most dangerous stretches of road in the state because of the impossible traffic burden it was forced to carry as the only artery serving that corridor. A federal highway funding initiative was about to expire, and it had just enough funds remaining in its allocation budget to cover the bulk of the proposed highway. If ROG could secure those funds, the State would be likely to come up with the balance. The project had been hopelessly stalled for over 30 years. Claire Bosley thought if anyone could do it, it would be Phyllis.

The ROG Expressway committee never really considered the possibility of failure. They felt that theirs was a just cause, and a reasonable one, and they felt that the timing was finally right. They were enthusiastic, and confident that they would prevail.

Under Phyllis's determined and inspired leadership, the impossible suddenly became possible after all. After more than a solid year of tireless effort, hundreds of phone calls and letters, and many meetings with all sorts of state and federal officials, the committee succeeded in getting the project approved, and funded. The Northwest Expressway was completed efficiently and on time, and finally opened to traffic in 1985. It is noteworthy to mention that I-795 was intentionally constructed with space for a commuter rail line to run in the median, another commuter boon that was completed soon after.

"There was a moment, when I finally had a sense of how big an undertaking this was," she admits. "It was when all those state and federal people that I had been talking to on the phone came to the first meeting, which was in the basement of our home. I was a bit surprised that they all actually showed up."

"The stars were in alignment; it was perfect timing." she claims. "A lot of different people were willing to meet with us, and once everyone came together, we were finally able to make some progress. Everyone involved did their part to bring it to fruition. Everything just coalesced, and the pieces all fell into place."

She also credits former Senator Charles "Mac" Mathias for carrying the issue to the federal level, and leading the effort to secure the last of the federal highway grant money that ultimately made the project possible.

This is something that Phyllis cares deeply about, and she warms to the subject. "It really was a wonderful example of people from all kinds of different groups and factions all working in cooperation with each other. People have forgotten what they can accomplish when everyone stands up together to achieve the same goal. People have stopped believing that they can make things happen. We have allowed the government to direct us, instead of remembering that it is us who directs the government."

"Phyllis has a way of getting people to all come together, and do great things as a result." says her husband Alex. "She has always had that ability, as long as I have known her. She really cares about people, and always wants to get involved in helping to make things better. And whenever she'd get involved, she would usually end up in a leadership role. People seem to recognize how gifted she is, and they just naturally respond to her ideas and enthusiasm."

Gina McManus voices similar sentiments about Daly's skill at mediation and persuasion.

"She is perceptive, thoughtful, and not hesitant to articulate her opinion." McManus attests. "Phyllis perceives the essence of an issue quickly and argues cogently, but she never denigrates the opposition. Everyone who deals with Phyllis always comes away with not only respect, but genuine affection for her. Our community and quality of life are better for all of Phyllis's efforts."

"Phyllis is amazing!" affirms Kathy Shay, current President of the Women's Club of Glyndon. "She sits back and assesses the situation, then always seems to come up with just the perfect suggestion to solve the issue. She is very thoughtful, and caring, and down to earth. For the last three years, Phyllis has spearheaded our big Fashion Show fundraiser. She has been a superior leader, and is truly loved by all in the club."

Susie Moore, close friend of Phyllis and fellow community activist concurs. "When I look back over the some 40 years that I've known Phyllis, I realize that she is one of the most passionate people I've ever known. She is someone who will commit to an issue and not give up until it's resolved. She is always willing to extend a hand to help." says Ms. Moore.

"I always think: What Would Phyllis Do when an issue comes up that I might be on the fence about," reports Carolyn Eichler. Ms. Eichler is a board member of the Women's Club of Glyndon, and served with Phyllis years ago on ROG. "Phyllis's instincts have always been spot-on, even when I was not as brave as she was in expressing those opinions. I learned from Phyllis that it was okay to disagree with people and not get angry, but rather just work together toward a common goal."

Phyllis went on to serve as the president of ROG from 1979-1981. A key initiative then was a Revitalization Program for Reisterstown. The ROG council, in conjunction with the Chamber of Commerce, produced a 25 page booklet at that time as the result of a study that they commissioned. Revitalization of the community and of Main Street, as well as directed and intentional growth remain key issues for the community today, Phyllis believes, as are managing the impact of that growth on the roads and school and the area's infrastructure.

"Right now, though, the biggest issue facing the Chartley Community, and the nation as whole, is of course the economy," observes Phyllis.

Phyllis continues to be involved in the community civic organizations, not only with the Glyndon Women's Club, as noted above, but also serving as chairwoman of the CHA Joseph S. Molinaro Memorial Scholarship for the last several years. Phyllis says she has especially enjoyed serving on the scholarship committee, because she has really been inspired by the passion and enthusiasm of the young applicants.

"I love meeting these talented neighborhood kids, and the wonderful variety they have in terms of perspectives and ideas. Some of their goals and dreams are really inspiring, "Phyllis says."I love that we can do something for them, to help them pursue those dreams."

As much time and energy as Phyllis has contributed to the community, however, she always felt that her main responsibility was providing a warm and loving home, and raising fruitful children.

"I have always been very proud of Phyllis," confirms her husband, Alex. "I probably didn't say that as much as I should have. And I always admired that with everything else that she did; she still always took care of things at home, and was there for the family. That's always where her heart is."

If you ask Phyllis what it is that she likes most about Chartley, you can watch her eyes light up when she talks about her community.

"Chartley was and is a wonderful place to be a family," Phyllis says earnestly. "When we were looking for a home in the early 70's, Chartley was the perfect place to settle down and raise a family. Now, many of the kids that grew up here are moving back for all of the same reasons. Nice homes, solid values, good schools, and a sense of community."

"When we first pulled up to look at the house, all of the kids were outside playing together. What really made an impression, though, was that the adults were outside, too, talking and laughing and visiting with each other. That resonated with me. Alex and I were looking for a community like that. You still find that here, and that is one of the things I especially love about Chartley."

"We made some wonderful friends here, we have been blessed with an amazing circle of friends as a result of moving to Chartley," Phyllis says. "It started out with just being good neighbors. Then it expanded to a bridge club, and babysitting for each other, and multi-family barbecues, summers days at the Glyndon Pool, sledding parties in the winter, and a big Memorial Day picnic every year."

"There was a whole group of us that were all at the same place in our lives, raising families and very interested in learning and growing ourselves," relates Barbara Hardesty, long-time neighbor and friend. "It was a wonderful thing to share that time of our lives with each other, and to find that kind of encouragement and acceptance. We basically raised our children together as an extended family circle, and we shared each others lives, the good times as well as the bad."

Over the years, those friendships have grown into the deeply shared connection that the families still maintain today. "Chartley has always been a good place to come home to," husband Alex agrees, summing up their sentiments.

If you know Phyllis well, you might have noticed that she has taken to wearing funky hats this summer. Perhaps there are a whole lot of folks who don't know that this beloved member of our community has been fighting uterine cancer since the spring. And you may also not know that lately, the fight has not been going as well as she would like, or have hoped. Phyllis is determined to beat the cancer. So many in the community she loves have been showering her and her family with prayers and support. She has been warmed and lifted by the kindnesses and is grateful. Community and friendship come full circle.

Phyllis always wanted to be the world's greatest English teacher to inspire others to love the English language as she did and to learn the power of the written word. Since Phyllis' death, the family has established the Phyllis L. Daly scholarship fund to further the love of language and communication arts.