Phyllis Elizabeth Corrick

Phyllis Ruder Corrick was born in Omaha, Nebraska to Robert W. And Beverly J. Ruder on September 14, 1950. She passed away unexpectedly, but peacefully on August 17, 2019 at the age of 68.



She attended Beveridge Jr./Sr. HighBurke High School where she made life-long friendships. Phyllis was in the first graduating class from Burke High School in 1968. She recently celebrated at her 50th class reunion.



Phyllis attended Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, on a full academic scholarship and graduated in 1972 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mathematics. That same year she accepted her first teaching position in Davenport, Iowa. She spent the majority of her career at North Scott Junior High School in Eldridge, Iowa (1976 -2005) where she taught 7th and 8th grade math. She retired after 33 years teaching at age 54.



Phyllis lived in Iowa for 40 years. She married Robert (Bob) Corrick (a science teacher at the same school), and was married to him over 30 years. Phyllis loved nature and the outdoors, camping, hunting and fishing. They had a cabin at Lake Odessa on the Mississippi River, where they would go most weekends (spring, fall, winter), and spend the summer. One of her favorite camping spots was Strawberry Hill in northeast Iowa. They loved to travel and once took 6 weeks, during the summer to explore the Midwest and Canada, camping all but a handful of nights. That is when she found her love of Wyoming, where she was headed with girlfriends before she passed away. In their retirement years, she and Bob would spend several weeks of each winter trout fishing in Arkansas.



Phyllis loved travel and doing the research and planning. She traveled to Europe (England, Scotland, Italy) several times with friends and took a New England/Canada cruise which included Bar Harbor, Prince Edward Island, Halifax and Quebec City. One of her travel highlights was an Alaskan cruise/land tour with Bob. She enjoyed visiting relatives in Florida and friends on the Gulf Coast of Texas. She loved visiting family in Arizona, California, Texas and Minnesota through the years. She loved Chicago and was a life-long Cubs fan (her Nebraska license plate was CUBYFAN).



Phyllis and Bob moved to Omaha in 2013 when a house became available behind her sister. Bob moved to an assisted living facility in 2014 and passed away in March, 27, 2019 at Ossian Senior Hospice in Ossian, IA with his children by his side.



Phyllis loved her bright and cheerful home in Omaha and was very proud of it. She loved decorating. Immediately upon returning to Omaha she reconnected with old friends from Burke High. They had monthly lunches and outings. She joined a book club and Mah Jongg group and made many new, close friends. She loved to play bridge (she was in a bridge group for over 30 years with the same group in Iowa) and do crossword puzzles. She had just taken up kayaking.



She loved dogs and usually had some type of terrier or spaniel; Wire Fox, Airedale and American Water Spaniel. She recently had gotten a Golden Doodle puppy, Rizzo, named after her favorite Cubs player. Rizzo is still in the family.



Family and friends have commented how much they loved Phyllis’ smile and laugh. They loved her honesty and directness and leadership. She is sorely missed by many.



Phyllis was preceded in death by her parents and brother, Clifford C. Ruder. She is survived by sisters Doris (Corky) Buell of Omaha, NE, Susan Abbott (Lee Hoellwarth) of Austin, TX and Sandra (Dave) Byers of Bemidji, MN; step-children Brenda (Ivan) Hackman of Decorah, IA and Brett Corrick of Johnston, IA; nieces and nephews Tyler and Benjamin Hoellwarth of Austin, TX, Justin (Ashley) Byers of Chicago, IL, Hayden Byers of St. Paul, MN Erica Byers of Bemidji, MN; , Jeff (Shannon) Ruder of Denver, CO, Michael (Loren) Ruder of Charlotte, NC, Steven (Nicoletta) Ruder of Washington, DC, Nathan Ruder of Plano, TX, Christina Ruder of Washington DC, and step-grandchildren Katelyn (La Crosse, WI), and Michala and Wyatt Hackman of Decorah, IA.

Phyllis will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Elma, Iowa, alongside her husband.