Page 4 - Phyllis Burrell

Phyllis L. Burrell
mother • grandmother • daughter • Sister • Friend • Servant • God’s Child
When her family and friends called, she answered. When ministry called, she was ready to serve. If you needed her help or support, you could count on her to show up. She constantly gave of herself, even when she didn’t have much to give, because that’s who Phyllis L. Burrell was—a generous, sweet soul, and a servant to her core.
Born Phyllis Rene November 7, 1960, in Chicago, Illinois, she was the
fourth of Percy and Jennie LuVert’s six children. For over ten years, she was the
only girl and had to endure the rough-and-tumble nature of big brothers who sometimes broke the heads off of her dolls. She was raised on 99th Place between Normal and Eggleston, in a neighborhood where friends became family. And her first introduction to God was at Pilgrim Baptist Church, where she served on the junior usher board throughout her formative years.
Phyllis was a proud alumna of Chicago Public Schools, earning her high school diploma from Jones Commercial High School. There she was groomed to be the consummate secretary. She later earned a para- legal certificate. Her first job out of high school was as a clerk for immigration located in the Dirksen Federal Building. She went on to work as a secretary for a law group located in the Sears Tower. It was during her time at immigration when Phyllis met Michael McReynolds, whom she would later marry. Phyllis and Mi- chael welcomed a son named Aaron Phillip to their union, which also included Khalida and Brian, Michael’s children from a previous marriage.
In 1985, Phyllis moved to Eugene, Oregon, where she worked as a secretary for Legal Aid. It’s also where she committed her life to Jesus Christ at a church called Bethel Temple. She sang in the choir and served wherever she was needed. In 1989, she married Michael Burrell and later they welcomed her second son, David Nathaniel. In 1993, Phyllis returned to Chicago, where she would live her remaining years on Earth doing what she did best: serving and helping others.
She joined the Apostolic Church of God in 1993, where she grew deeper in her faith and almost imme- diately became involved with the Single Parent Ministry. Through that ministry, she gained lifelong friends. More recently, she volunteered with the church’s Feeding the Homeless for Christ ministry and GRACE ministry for teenage girls. Earlier this year, she completed the Good Life Discipleship series, and one of her favorite assignments was serving at the Greater Chicago Food Depository. However, Phyllis’s greatest acts of service and love were done outside the structure of formal ministry.
After the sudden death of her cousin in 2003, she raised and took on as her own children her cousin’s three youngest children: Yahkima, Tahmeka, and Kiowa. Her home became a place of refuge and shelter for all her children’s friends. Every Sunday, she not only picked up her friend Sister Woods for church, but she helped her get ready for church. When a co-worker needed a ride to work, she picked her up and took her home every day. And she looked after her mother, whom she loved fiercely. She would take her to the grocery store (all of them!), roll her coins, and help her fill out important paperwork. When it came to holidays or special gatherings, she always made the mac and cheese, potato salad, and deviled eggs—and Phyllis made the best