Barbara 'Bobbie' Phillips

Barbara Jeanne “Bobbie” Phillips, 86, passed away on April 9, 2019, in Nampa, Idaho.

Barbara was born July 27, 1932, in Hope, Idaho, and was the daughter of Floyd and Perola (Rola) Yaryan. She is preceded in death by her parents; her husband, George; her brothers, Berkley, Jack, and Val Yaryan; and her sister, Donna Burgess.

As a young woman she worked at Herschel’s Lighthouse and later at the renamed Litehouse, which was owned by Ed and Lorena Hawkins. She married George H. Phillips who taught for many years in the Hope, Clark Fork, and the Sandpoint vicinity and who also served as head teacher at Kootenai Elementary. Barbara and her husband owned and operated the Lake Aire Motel in Hope for a number of years.

An avid gardener, Barbara always kept the grounds abloom at the motel and their home during the spring and summer. Following the sale of the motel, she worked as a certified nursing assistant in Sandpoint, Idaho. Barbara, George, and their four children resided in the Hope area on the shores of Lake Pend Oreille where they enjoyed the ever-changing beauty and recreation the lake offered.

Barbara is survived by her children, LaRae White and husband Pat of Meridian, Idaho; Debbie Conn and husband Mike of Clark Fork, Idaho; Wendy Suess and husband Tim of Brandywine, West Virginia; and Sean Phillips of Spokane, Washington. She is also survived by four grandchildren, Korby Baker, Heather Miller, Joel White, and Michael Conn; and seven great-grandchildren ranging from 16 to 7 years of age.

After George’s retirement, Barbara and her husband and their youngest child, Sean, moved to Spokane, where she continued with her work with the elderly in various capacities including CNA, director of admissions, and home health worker. She loved her work dearly and was a compassionate and devoted caregiver. Barbara worked into her late 70s until a knee injury forced her to retire. For the last five years of her life, she lived at her son’s home and enjoyed cooking and baking, reading, gardening, playing pinochle, and family visits.

Special thanks to the staff at Sunny Ridge in Nampa, who oversaw that she received the best possible care during the last weeks of her life. Barbara’s ashes will be returned by her family to the town of Hope. The town, its residents, and Lake Pend Oreille always figured strongly in her fondest memories.

No funeral service is planned.