Reba Ellen Phillips Boddie passed away on Tuesday, June 28, 2016, in Norwalk, Conn., at 97. She was born September 6, 1918, and grew up in Buck Run, Pa. Her parents were Emma Bowen Phillips and Thomas Parr Phillips.
Reba graduated from Syracuse University, where, in addition to her other accomplishments, she was proud of being a cheerleader (even though they could only go halfway across the field to cheer for the men’s bleacher section). Reba served with the Red Cross in Iran and Egypt during World War II. She married John B. Boddie (deceased) in 1947 in Hollywood, Calif., where she worked for Walt Disney Studios and Western Airlines (where she had fun spotting movie stars going in and out of the Brown Derby Restaurant next door).
Reba taught third and fourth grades in Hazlet, N.J., for 29 years, until she retired at 70 in 1989. She loved to travel and visited quite a number of places: Canada, Europe, Russia, Hawaii, Australia, New Zealand to name a few.
She was an accomplished pianist and loved the theater, movies, music and going out to eat at Outback and Sono Seaport (in Norwalk). Even at 97, she was always ready to go!
Her children Ellen O’Brien (husband, Tom), Kay Magliola (husband, Mark) and John “Brock” Boddie (wife, Debbie), her seven grandchildren and her great-granddaughter cherish the many memories of all the great times we had with Mom (Grandma).
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