Phyllis Evelyn Dillon Riber
Enjoyed the simple pleasures in life
Phyllis Evelyn Dillon Riber, 89, known to many as “Gaga” or “Phee,” died Friday, November 1, 2013, in Apex, N.C. She never had a broken bone or major ailment; her death was caused by heart failure.
Born August 14, 1924, and raised in Marianna, she was a daughter of the late Philip and Eleanor Dillon. Many stories are still told about her many sled rides from the top of the hill, where she attended school, all the way past her house on Beason Avenue.
Mrs. Riber attended Marianna United Methodist Church.
She worked at Nice Ball Bearing in Philadelphia during World War II, and The Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C., where she met and married Lester Riber in 1964. They lived their life together in Washington, D.C., and Colorado Springs, returning to Marianna in 1971.
Following the steps of her mother, Mrs. Riber was always a caregiver who took pride in attending to her husband, until his death in 1973, and neighborhood friends late in life.
She moved to Smithfield, N.C., in 2000 to be close to her daughter and grandson, moving one last time to Apex in 2009.
Over the last four years, she had five roommates and was visited often by her grandson and niece’s family, the Abeles. The pride and joy of seeing her great-grandson carried her through the loneliest of days. She was always known to bring a smile and a laugh to the hearts of other residents and workers at Spring Arbor.
Mrs. Riber enjoyed the simple pleasures in life: time with family and a good cup of coffee. She was able to enjoy these until her last year of life. She was always the one to lift your soul with a simple phrase or a lovely song. Her sweet heart and loving manner will be missed dearly.
The family would like to thank all that provided care within the last days of her life, Spring Arbor of Apex and Hospice, N.C.
She is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Paulette Dillon; her grandson, David Lee (Jackie) Dillon; and her great-grandson, Ashton Phillip Dillon, born 2010, all of Raleigh, N.C. She is also survived by her niece, Mary Manchey (Don) Abele of Burlington, N.C.; their children, Kimberly, Erin, Elisa and Benjamin; and several other extended relatives that were close in heart from Virginia, Pennsylvania, Florida, Utah and Missouri.
In addition to her parents and husband, she will be reunited with all her brothers and sisters that proceeded her in death, Karl Eugene Dillon, Philip John Dillon, William James Dillon and Winifred Irene Dillon Manchey.
Friends and family will be received from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday in Nichol Funeral Home, 1728 Main Street, Marianna, PA 15345, where services will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, November 7. Interment will follow in Horn Cemetery, Marianna.
A guest book may be signed at www.nicholfuneralhome.com.