Phyllis Ann Waldron (née Greco) passed away on September 20th at 1:03pm from COVID-related pneumonia. Phyllis is survived by her husband of 31 years, John Waldron and her son Sean, 27 and her sister Denise Lancey, brothers John Greco and James Greco and her mother, Nancy Greco.
She lived in Land O’ Lakes, Florida since 2006 and considered herself an honorary Floridian. She loved her Florida heat and her beaches. She was born and raised in The Bronx, New York, something she was extremely proud of. Phyllis earned her BA in Economics from CUNY-Herbert H Lehman college, also in the Bronx.
Phyllis’ main passion in her life was her family and her friends. Nothing meant more to her. Phyllis and John were together over 35 years and married just over 31. Her son Sean was her greatest pride & joy. Any perceived slight of her boys was met with an instant and stern rebuke. She dubbed her family the Trio. And The Trio were always together. They did everything together, went everywhere together and centered their lives on each other, over the rest of the world. Phyllis was a willing volunteer with Sean’s schools from kindergarten all the way up to being a Band Mom in high school. Even when Sean was grown and flew the nest, her dedication as his mom and protector never wavered. In the normal course of life when distance was added, there was always a daily Trio phone call.
She was very close to her brothers James & John and to her sister Denise. They were each both siblings and best friends at the same time. Spirited discussions weren’t unknown, but they always ended in “I love you.”. She looked forward to any chance to spend time with them. She loved her mom, Nancy, and was very grateful to her. Their favorite topic was their beloved Yankees. They were able to see each other just before Phyllis left us.
Phyllis was a loving person who brought smiles to everyone who had the blessing to meet her. Even restaurant staff would fight over her! She enjoyed keeping in close touch with both childhood friends and recent friends. She would become a road warrior when there was a chance to meet a friend or family member. 2 hours or 20 hours, it was worth the trip to her every time.
She was passionate and vocal about her values, both religious and political. Phyllis was a firm believer in her Catholic faith and traditions. She never wavered on that. Like everyone else, she would occasionally ask God, “Why?”, but she believed she was blessed in so many ways. Phyllis lived with many chronic health issues. But she addressed those issues openly, honestly and aggressively and with the awareness things could be worse.
Phyllis was taken from us way too soon. Life without her will be very different. She was a source of joy that will be missed by a great many people. She had an insightful wisdom when anyone asked her for advice and she also had the courage to respond honestly. We love you Phyllis, so much.