Phyllis Markel Obituary

Phyllis Markel, of Greenville South Carolina, died peacefully on October 2, 2025, after a period of declining health, just a month shy of her 103rd birthday. She is survived by sons and daughters-in-law John and Fleming and Rick and Tetiana of Greenville, daughters and sons-in-law Kathryn and Philip Levy of Akron and Patricia and Bill Barnes of Charlotte; four grandchildren: Robert (Erin) Markel, Hamp (Hallie) Markel, Melanie Levy, and Alison (Bradford) Levy; and four great-grandchildren: Lillie Markel, Louise Markel, J.D. Markel and Mabel Levy. As we celebrate our mother's life, we invite friends to visit us between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 8, at 104 Moultrie Street, Greenville, S.C. Born in Johnstown Pennsylvania, Phyllis was the only child of the late Ethel Coleman Hinkle and John H. Hinkle. In 1940, she graduated from Johnstown High School and then began her three years of training to become a Registered Nurse at Mercy Hospital in Johnstown. In 1946, she interrupted her nursing career to marry Richard ("Dick") Markel, also of Johnstown, after his return from Army service in Europe. The young couple began their married life in Boston where Dick was an engineering graduate student and instructor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. In 1948, with a young son in tow, the couple moved to Niagara Falls, New York, where two daughters and another son soon joined the family, keeping Phyllis very busy indeed. In 1959, the family's travels continued, with Dick's transfer to Southern California for four years and then back again to Niagara Falls for seven more years. Phyllis handled the turmoil of frequently moving a large household of young children with a fine mixture of practicality, grace, and cheerfulness throughout. In 1970, the family moved (for the last time) to Greenville, where she enjoyed returning to geriatric nursing for several years. Dick's engineering business often took him to Europe and Phyllis greatly enjoyed accompanying him. The couple also enjoyed traveling with friends to Europe, the Caribbean, South America, and Antarctica. Phyllis and Dick were married for 67 years before he died in 2012. For 10 years prior, Dick suffered from dementia. During those years, Phyllis took care of him at home, cheerfully and lovingly until he eventually had to enter an assisted living facility where she visited him every day without fail. Phyllis was a skilled seamstress and tailor who enjoyed making clothes for herself and her daughters. She was an avid reader of fiction, history, and biography throughout her life and she fostered a love of reading and learning to all her children. Phyllis lived in her Greenville home for 50 years until she moved to assisted living at The Blake. Mentally alert and strongly opinionated up until her last day, Phyllis looked forward to her weekly bridge game with three younger friends and was always keenly competitive to win the day's first prize. Memorials can be made to the Greenville Humane Society, 305 Airport Road, Greenville, SC 29607. Friends are encouraged to share their favorite memories of Phyllis with the family by clicking on the button labeled "Share A Memory."