Phyllis Jo Brown, 71, a lifelong Youngstown area resident, passed away peacefully in her sleep Monday, Sept. 2, 2021 in Austintown, OH.
Phyllis was born Dec. 31, 1949 in Youngstown, Ohio, to the late J. Phillip and Josephine Richley. She graduated from Chaney High School in 1967 and later from Youngstown State University. In the early 1970s, she began her teaching career at Rayen High School where she taught courses in typing and secretarial skills.
After teaching for several years, Phyllis left to start a family. She returned to work in 1983 for the Mahoning County Engineer's office serving as an administrative assistant to then Mahoning County Engineer Michael Fitas. In 1990, Phyllis resumed her teaching career with Youngstown City Schools. She continued to teach for over 20 more years at Hayes Junior High, South High School, East High School, Wilson High School, and finally for nearly a decade at Chaney High School. She had a passion for education and worked to develop strong relationships with her students.
In 2001, Phyllis married Edward Brown of Warren, OH. They spent many joyous years travelling in the region and particularly enjoyed going to Pittsburgh to dance. Phyllis was also very fond of music and movies, counting Julia Roberts, Denzel Washington, Cher, Tina Turner, and Whitney Houston among her favorites. As a young girl, she adored Paul McCartney and the Beatles. She also enjoyed working on arts and crafts projects and visiting with her many friends and relatives. During the holidays, Phyllis loved to bake and hosted Christmas Eve dinner for many years.
Phyllis is survived by her loving family: her daughter, Anastasia Canacci and her husband Jeff Kalniz of North Carolina and son, Ronald Canacci of South Dakota, her grandson, Ozzy Kalniz, and her brother John P. Richley of Canfield, OH along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
A memorial service will be held for Phyllis on Sat. Sept. 11th, 2021 @ 1:00 PM at Victory Christian Center at Boardman, 8590 Hitchcock Rd; corner of Western Reserve Rd. and Hitchcock Rd. The family will receive those who wish to pay their respects from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM. Following this will be a service in memory of Phyllis Jo from 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM.
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