Phyllis Hayslip

Phyllis Hayslip of Rockwall, Texas, a devoted mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, woman of faith, and faithful servant of Jesus Christ, passed from this life on August 26, 2026, at the age of 94.

Although our hearts are heavy and the loss is immeasurable, we find peace in knowing that Phyllis is now present with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she loved and served with all her heart and soul. The faith she lived throughout her life became the foundation of her family and the legacy she leaves behind.

Early Life and Faith

Phyllis was born on September 21, 1931, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the Rev. Odis Allen Franklin and Ann Franklin. She grew up alongside her siblings, Rochelle Mince, Lois Ann Cook, Lewis Franklin, and Sandra Bell.

Her childhood was anything but ordinary. She traveled across the country with her father, mother, and siblings as her father held revival services, sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ from place to place. Some of Phyllis's earliest and most treasured memories were made in church. She loved playing the piano, organ, and accordion while singing alongside her siblings during those revival services. What began during her childhood became a lifelong ministry. Music and worship remained an important part of who she was throughout her life.

Phyllis was a true woman of God and a powerful prayer warrior. Her faith was not something she simply spoke about—it was something she lived. She faithfully played the piano and organ at church and could be counted on to be there Sunday after Sunday and Wednesday after Wednesday. Whether sitting at the piano, playing the organ, praying for someone in need, or simply offering encouragement, Phyllis served the Lord faithfully. Her life was a testimony to the faith she carried in her heart.

A Devoted Mother

But of all the titles Phyllis held throughout her remarkable life, none meant more to her than Mother. Phyllis was a loving and devoted mother of five children: Shirley Nuckols (Mark), Charles Hayslip (Blanca), Patricia Newberry, Pamela Martin, and of course she saved the best for last, Steven Hayslip (Dorothy).

She gave everything she had to raising her children. She was their mother, their encourager, their prayer warrior, and the person they knew they could turn to no matter what life brought their way. Through good times and difficult ones, she was there. Her children never had to wonder whether their mother loved them because she demonstrated that love throughout her life—in her sacrifices, her prayers, her encouragement, and her constant presence.

She taught her children lessons that could never be learned from a book. She taught them to have faith when life is difficult, to love your family, to pray when you do not know what else to do, to help others, and to trust God through every season of life. The greatest testimony to the woman Phyllis was can be found in the family she raised and the generations who came after her.

Family Legacy

Her love grew even greater as she became a grandmother and great-grandmother. Phyllis was blessed with eleven grandchildren, including Jeffrey Gillespie, Joshua Nuckols, Jeremy Nuckols, Krysta Hayslip, Brittany Hathcock, Michelle Martin, Michael Martin, James Wooten, Sarena Hayslip, and Katie Hayslip, as well as eight great-grandchildren: Sienna Hathcock, Breanna Nuckols, Shane Hathcock, Lana Gillispie, John Nuckols, Harper Gillispie, Elena Gillispie, and Savanah Depasquale, along with numerous nieces and nephews. Each was another blessing in a life already overflowing with family and love.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her father, Rev. Odis Allen Franklin; her mother, Ann Franklin; her sisters, Lois Ann Cook and Rochelle Mince; and her beloved daughter, Patricia Newberry.

A Life of Faith and Comfort

While saying goodbye is incredibly difficult, Phyllis spent a lifetime preparing for the day when she would meet her Savior face-to-face. For those who knew the depth of her faith, there is comfort in imagining the homecoming that awaited her—reunited with her parents, her sisters, her daughter, and those she loved who went before her.

For 94 years, Phyllis Hayslip blessed this world with her faith, her music, her prayers, and, most importantly, her love. The piano may be quiet now, her place in the church may be empty, and her family will deeply miss hearing her voice, but the influence of her life will continue through every person she loved.

She will be missed more than words can adequately express. There will be an emptiness that only someone as special as Phyllis could leave behind. Yet her family does not say goodbye without hope. The faith that carried Phyllis throughout her life now comforts those she leaves behind. We grieve because we loved her so deeply, but we rejoice knowing where she is. She is home.

And because of the same promise in Jesus Christ that Phyllis held onto throughout her life, we are comforted knowing that this separation is only temporary. One day, we will see her again.

Until then, we will carry her love in our hearts, hear her music in our memories, remember the prayers she prayed over us, and thank God for giving us the greatest mother we could have ever asked for.

Well done, Mother. You fought the good fight, you finished the race, and you kept the faith. Until we meet again in Heaven.

Service Information

A Celebration of Life honoring Phyllis's beautiful legacy and rejoicing in her homegoing to be with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be held on Wednesday, September 2, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. at Charles W. Smith Funeral Home, 2343 Lake Road, Lavon, Texas 75166.

Family and friends are invited to join as we remember and celebrate a remarkable woman whose faith, love, and devotion touched the lives of so many. Although she will be deeply missed, we find comfort in knowing that she is now home with her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.