Phyllis I. (Bertram) Garry passed peacefully on February 11, 2025, in Tampa, Florida.
Born December 28, 1944, raised in Hagerstown, Indiana (the seventh of 10 children, last the triplets!), graduated high school in 1962, and earned a degree from Springfield Business College (Springfield, Ohio), where she wed Brian Garry on May 28, 1966. Following the births of a son and daughter, the family moved to Tampa in 1977.
Earning the Girl Scouts’ Lifetime Achievement Award, she influenced countless girls’ lives. Also a water safety instructor, she brought this life skill to so many. She retired from Metropolitan Life Insurance Company after 20 years to spend more time with her grandchildren.
She traveled large parts of the world as a boxing official. For amateurs, Phyllis worked the 1996 Olympics and the 2000 Olympics Trials. Professionally, her extensive resume includes judging nine World Title Bouts, and a Florida Boxing Hall of Fame induction. Additionally, her recent adventures included grand excursions to Alaska, Europe and the Panama Canal.
She is survived by her husband, Brian Garry, and her children, John Garry and Connie Ramos, as well as their families; and her sister, Roberta Hensley, and brother, David Bertram.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated in Phyllis’ memory on March 15, 2025, at 10:30 a.m. at Incarnation Catholic Church (Tampa, Florida). A Burial Ceremony will follow at Calvary Catholic Cemetery (Clearwater, Florida), then a Celebration of Life Luncheon nearby.
In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations to the Girl Scouts of West Central Florida, Tampa PAL Boxing Club or Suncoast Hospice.