Phyllis Bingham

PHYLLIS CARROLL BINGHAM

08/27/1944 - 01/31/2024

On January 31st, 2024, our beloved mother was released from her pain and confinement and is now free to embark on many more "Grand Adventures" far beyond with our father and other loved ones who have previously passed. Phyllis was born August 27, 1944, in Salt Lake City, Utah to Forrest W. and Maxine F. Hibbard, growing up in the Wasatch Hollow (Browning Avenue) and East Bench neighborhoods. She graduated from East High School in 1962 and attended the University of Utah. She married Wallace Gordon Bingham on June 18, 1968 in Salt Lake City, eventually settling in Taylorsville, Utah in 1974 where she raised 3 wonderful kids. Phyllis had a soft spot for birds, having kept several parakeets, as well as her long-lived cockatiel, Chauncey.

Phyllis was a hard-working and dedicated employee and started working at a young age as a "soda jerk" in her father's drug store, Hibbard Drug. Later she held long tenures as a key punch operator at JC Penney in the 1970's, Eimac/Varian Associates in the 1980's and 90's, and retiring from the University of Utah Health in 2010.

Phyllis was also fun and free spirited with an infectious laugh. She enjoyed games of all sorts, jigsaw puzzles, watching sports, and the outdoors. She loved playing cards and introduced her in-laws to various games like Countdown, Crazy 8's, Hearts, and Shanghai rummy, to name a few, which has grown as a gathering tradition throughout the Bingham family. She bowled in many leagues on neighborhood and work teams and placing in a tournament held in Southern California. She was a long-time fan of the Chicago "Cubbies" and announcer Harry Caray, the Dallas Cowboys, and the Utah Utes. She had a '67 Mustang Fastback after college. She enjoyed long car rides outdoors to get out of her "cuckoo's nest" throughout her life and relished in the scenery and beauty of the outdoors, particularly Utah's High Uintas and the Grand Mesa and Cimarron Range in Colorado.

Phyllis was very artistic, with her talents enjoyed by many throughout her life. She was a landscape artist at a young age and enjoyed oil painting mountain and forest scenes on canvas. She had a knack for Christmas tree decorating and flocking and had a collection of natural ornaments that included realistic birds and nests, ornate globes and fancy lights. If you were one of the lucky ones to receive a handmade felt Christmas stocking during her craft years, then you appreciated her special attention to detail as each sequin-sewn stocking was uniquely made especially for you. She was a great cook, especially her sugar cookies, fresh apple and red velvet cakes, cherry cream cheese pie, goulash, hamburger pie, and green enchiladas, often adding a special touch that differentiated her recipe from those similar.

She is survived by her beloved family: Sons Matthew (Wendy) Bingham of Glendale, Arizona, and Phillip (Morgan) Bingham of Eagle Mountain; daughter Heather (Ty) Benson of West Jordan, Utah; grandchildren Christopher Bingham, Kaley (Joshua) Moyer, Lauren Bingham, Raleigh Bingham, and Hagen Benson; great grandson Mason Moyer; sister Margaret Yeager of Daytona Beach, Florida; brother Robert (Jackie) Hibbard of Salt Lake City; and many other family and friends. Preceded in death by her husband Wallace Bingham, parents Forrest and Maxine Hibbard; siblings Jim Hibbard, Susan Laman and Lyda Kempner. The family wishes to express thanks for the medical professionals, nurses and aids that provided loving care during her last months.

 A service to honor the life and memory of Phyllis will be held on the morning of April 27, 2024, from 10:00 AM - noon, at The Gathering Hall at McDougal Funeral Home, 4306 S Redwood Road (the north building on the property), Taylorsville, Utah. Interment to follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, 1342 E 500 S, Salt Lake City, Utah. Phyllis donated to many charities throughout her life and in lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice or plant a tree in her honor.