Phyllis' " dance " with cancer was such a powerful and beautiful testimony of her strong conviction in all that God has provided for our healing.  The healthiest diet and life style, safe and gentle treatments and most important , her strong and unwavering faith in her Lord and Savior.  Phyllis' healing happened, just not here on earth. 

What is truly beautiful to me , as one of her " cancer survivor buddies," is that she didn't miss a beat, a day or opportunity to be ever so present to live her best life; loving, laughing , giving and making a huge difference in all she was apart of; ALL with " living with cancer!!!"

That alone glorified God as we all witnessed miracles in her life over the years.

Praising God for her example and life!!  

My love and prayers to John, such an amazing, supportive husband and precious children Nicole and Jonathan and all her grandchildren and her wonderful siblings who were her anchor in all  she lived her best life for and oh, my. . .  she did so very well.   God bless you all and may all your beautiful memories bring you comfort during this difficult time.

" Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In  all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths."  Proverbs 3: 5:6.

I am so grateful to my parents who bought timeshares in 1984 and introduced me to Ronnie and John.

That same year, John introduced me to his wife Phyllis, the woman who would become my best friend for 40 years. And we remained best of friends through every phase of our lives: Young moms in our 30’s, fabulous 40’s, menopausal 50’s, grateful and gregarious grandmas in our sixties and she felt sexier than ever as she celebrated 70 in December.

We were forever growing, changing and sharing life together.

Phyllis has been a constant in all our lives. With her incredible spirit of hospitality, she welcomed so many of us into her life and created an extended family of friends all over the world.

We have all been blessed by her love and generosity and have witnessed her humble and incredibly significant impact in the world.

Praise God for the privilege of spending a week with Phyllis just 2 weeks before she went to heaven. John and I drove 12 hours to Tennessee from Charleston the day after the storm. When I got there we hugged, cried and sang “ain’t no mountain high enough….to keep me from you”. We laughed, cursed, cried more, and prayed constantly. She spoke of her testimony.

Yes, Phyllis chose to live her life believing that God created our miraculous bodies with the ability to heal our infirmities, together with unwavering faith and alternative medicine. She continued to live an active, healthy, and rich life, filled with family, friends, travel adventure that we all emulate and admire.

In her own words, she was “living her dream” from Montauk and Lido Beach every summer (to be with grandkids), to Delray and San Diego in the winter (to be with grandkids). Let’s not forget the exotic destinations she traveled with her one and only Johnny, affectionately known as Dwadles, which you would know if you spent mornings with these two lovebirds.

Phyllis never second guessed the decisions she made about her treatment plan along the way. In fact, she became even more convicted than ever about the protocols and path she chose to follow.

With such conviction even as she was dying, her wish was for us to support Healing Strong, a faith-based network that supports emotional and physical healing for all people suffering with illness of any kind. Phyllis was an active member of this organization and found much comfort and strength by participating. The Lee Robertson Foundation is the NFP that will be providing funding for the Sanctuary of Health at the Whitestone Inn, a holistic clinic in Tennessee that has been instrumental in her hope and vision for the future of advanced integrative healthcare.

Finally, our beloved Montauk. St Theresa’s has been a constant source of faith, fellowship and love for Phyllis and the entire Monte family. Please remember Phyllis with a memorial gift to St Theresa’s, we all feel a deep sense of community to this special church and to Father Liam whom Phyllis loved so dearly.

Phyllis lived every day as if it was the last day of her life, or the first day! Either way, she was rebounding her way to heaven, listening to worship music in between downward dogs and warrior poses and making time to let us know how much she loved us each and all!

Godspeed to all of us who will grieve the loss of Philly’s physical presence. It is going to be a huge void in all our lives. Please join me believing that she is fully alive in heaven, and she will let you know that she is right here. She is already showing up as the boldest and most beautiful butterfly, during a sunrise over the Smokey Mountains, a parade in San Antonio, the airport in LAX, watercolors in Montauk and in special places yet to be known. Spirit never dies, and love is eternal.

With so much gratitude for the miracle of Phyllis’s life, for all of you and to God who blessed us with the joy of her love, her passion, her heart and soul, and life everlasting. Amen.

I met Phyllis when we were pre-teens in Howard Beach.  We shared giggles, secret crushes and summer days at the community pool. We were reunited in Montauk a few years later when the Montes opened their home to me and gave me a job at the beach shack at Gurney's. That’s when the fun began for Phyllis, Maureen and I, as we used our fake id’s to keep up with the older crowd! I was always in awe of how smart and independent Phyllis was, especially when she moved to Ronkonkoma to start college. 

Then I moved to CA and we lost touch until we found each other on FB and started meeting up each year in San Diego thanks to Nicole’s move there.  The recent 10 years of our relationship had no BS. We spoke openly on every topic, and picked right up after weeks or months. I am grateful we got to share the Ireland trip last year, and visits to Montauk and my home in Camarillo. I am heartbroken that we have unfinished plans and conversations. 

As a friend of Phyllis, I am also grateful for the bonus of coming to know John. He shared her so willingly and generously. They were a joy to be around because their love was so accepting and obvious. Peter and I want John to stay in our life  

Phyllis will continue to inspire me and her army of family and friends … Every time we sprinkle nutritional yeast or snap a receipt for Fetch, we know she is watching over us. ❤️