Phyllis was born Phyllis Adellaid Sholl, daughter of Ophelia Haupt-Sholl & John Ira Sholl on September 3, 1922 in the home of her grandfather in Milesberg, PA.
She was the eldest of 2 surviving daughters, her younger sister being Francis Sholl-Ginter of Bellefonte, PA. Her father, John, worked in the Bellefonte station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and her mother Ophelia was a school teacher.
Phyllis spent her early childhood as a "tomboy", fishing in the creek behind the family home, hanging out at the local swimming hole and running with the neighborhood gang of kids. She also enjoyed fishing and hunting with her father at the family cabin "Podunk" which she helped build with her father. Podunk remained one of her favorite memories her whole life being "a place of extraordinary quietness and peace, a place where you could enjoy the whole day fishing without catching a single fish of legal size." Phyllis did well in school, due to her sharp intelligence, perseverance, and the stern insistence of her school teacher mother. She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1940, and went on to attend Pennsylvania State University, studying the sciences such as Chemistry, Entomology, Botany, Physics, & Zoology.
Feeling the awful effects of WWII, losing too many of her friends and acquaintances, Phyllis dropped out of college to enlist in the Women's Army Corps.
99355869
After completing basic training she was sent to El Paso Texas, where she decided to train as a medical technician. She completed her training in August of 1945. She was then transferred to Des Moines Iowa, where she meet her future husband to be.
He was also in Des Moines at the time, on this particular evening, wandering the streets in a slightly inebriated state. Spotting two giggling WACs about town, he took it upon himself to follow them back to their hotel room they were sharing with 2 other girls, whom had already gone to bed. Sitting between them, on top of the covers, he had managed to charm his way into their room and into Phyllis's heart, "He was tall and good looking- Six foot two and eyes of blue. I knew dang well he was the one I wanted."
John Popieniuck had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Boston in 1941, after graduating from Franklin Technical Institute. In the Air Corps, he trained as an airplane and engine mechanic, and later in flight training and as a flight engineer. While at Randolph Field in San Antonio, he and his crew were involved in an airplane accident during takeoff. While the accident was being investigated, delaying his deployment over Japan, John took a leave of absence to return home to Massachusetts. During this time, the war ended and John was released from military service.
Phyllis, however, was still in service, stationed in San Antonio, Texas. Through an ardent campaign of love letters, the couple wed on June 18, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas. "I didn't want anybody to know I was getting married that afternoon". Phyllis told others later. Her boss didn't want her to take the afternoon off. Near the courthouse was a little store where the couple bought Phyllis's ring for $7. "It was exactly what I wanted." she said. John & Phyllis started their domestic life together, living in a trailer park in Bellefonte, PA., later moving closer to her husband's family in Maynard, MA. Their first daughter, Priscilla Irene, was born July 14, 1949, and their second daughter Katharine Olga on January 8, 1951. The addition of girls to the family lineage greatly delighted her husband's father as well as her own family.
Shortly thereafter, the couple decided to head West, having been enticed by the possibility of a job in California. Packing up the family, they drove first to California, and when a job failed to materialize, continued on, to stay with a war-time friend, Jean Fisher-Wennig and her husband in Salem, Oregon.
Phyllis and her family eventually settled in a post-war government housing, Kellogg Park, in Milwaukie, Oregon; later moving to a small rose draped cottage on Clatsop Street in Portland.
Their third child, a son, John Michael Popenuk was born August 13, 1954, in Portland. Phyllis and her husband both worked, Phyllis at home and John for Pacific Power and Light, as a draftsman. When their youngest child was old enough, Phyllis joined the workforce outside of the home as a Medical Technician at the University of Oregon Medical School (OHSU), where she received her official certification in September, 1962.
Phyllis continued her professional development, eventually achieving status as a Licensed Medical Technologist and went on to earning a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Oregon in 1984.
Both she and her husband worked hard to build their dream house in Aurora, Oregon, on the banks of the Willamette River. Many friends attended cookouts on the "Lot" before construction could begin. The family finally moved into their newly built home in the Summer of 1962. In the winter of ‘64, one of the worst floods in decades brought flood waters to a level of 5 feet in the basement of their home. The family was essentially stranded on an island for 5 days, waiting for the flood waters to recede. In 1982, both she and her husband retired from their long careers allowing them to travel to places such as the Caribbean, Guatemala, & Russia.
In 1985, Phyllis and her husband purchased an empty 2 acre parcel of land on the island of Maui. Immediately, trees were planted and an orchard was established containing many tropical fruit trees, banana plants, avocado trees and anything else that would grow. In 1993, a small house of unique architectural design was built. Phyllis and John spent each winter there, avoiding the cold wet Oregon weather and enjoying a tropical paradise. They were able to relax, read, wander through the gardens, pick fruit for the nearly non-profit fruit stand, explore the local parkland, & enjoy delicious, fresh meals and exotic tropical flowers.
Phyllis became a grandmother for the first time in 1981 with the birth of a grandson, John Misha Popenuk, the child of her son John. This was followed by the birth of another grandson, Nicholas Anthony Popenuk in 1983 and a granddaughter Natasha Noel in 1987. She very much loved her grandchildren and was very proud of them, lavishing them with hand knit and sewn hats, sweaters, and quilts. In 2011, Phyllis welcomed Connor and Mason Hughes into the family as grandsons when her son, John, remarried.
Phyllis was a master knitter and crochet artist, producing hundreds of knit hats for charity. She participated in knitting and quilting groups at the local senior center, sewing clothes for herself and her children, doing needle point & crocheting Christmas ornaments and gifts for her friends and family. She had an immense stockpile of yard waiting to be used when in 1993, she suffered a mild stroke that made it increasingly difficult for her to continue with her needlework. This incident however, also gave her the blessing of a new outlook on life, a renewed appreciation for each day, and a re-kindled affection for the people around her. From that day forward, she viewed her time together with the people she loved as a gift.
She was the eldest of 2 surviving daughters, her younger sister being Francis Sholl-Ginter of Bellefonte, PA. Her father, John, worked in the Bellefonte station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and her mother Ophelia was a school teacher.
Phyllis spent her early childhood as a "tomboy", fishing in the creek behind the family home, hanging out at the local swimming hole and running with the neighborhood gang of kids. She also enjoyed fishing and hunting with her father at the family cabin "Podunk" which she helped build with her father. Podunk remained one of her favorite memories her whole life being "a place of extraordinary quietness and peace, a place where you could enjoy the whole day fishing without catching a single fish of legal size." Phyllis did well in school, due to her sharp intelligence, perseverance, and the stern insistence of her school teacher mother. She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1940, and went on to attend Pennsylvania State University, studying the sciences such as Chemistry, Entomology, Botany, Physics, & Zoology.
Feeling the awful effects of WWII, losing too many of her friends and acquaintances, Phyllis dropped out of college to enlist in the Women's Army Corps.
99355869
After completing basic training she was sent to El Paso Texas, where she decided to train as a medical technician. She completed her training in August of 1945. She was then transferred to Des Moines Iowa, where she meet her future husband to be.
He was also in Des Moines at the time, on this particular evening, wandering the streets in a slightly inebriated state. Spotting two giggling WACs about town, he took it upon himself to follow them back to their hotel room they were sharing with 2 other girls, whom had already gone to bed. Sitting between them, on top of the covers, he had managed to charm his way into their room and into Phyllis's heart, "He was tall and good looking- Six foot two and eyes of blue. I knew dang well he was the one I wanted."
John Popieniuck had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Boston in 1941, after graduating from Franklin Technical Institute. In the Air Corps, he trained as an airplane and engine mechanic, and later in flight training and as a flight engineer. While at Randolph Field in San Antonio, he and his crew were involved in an airplane accident during takeoff. While the accident was being investigated, delaying his deployment over Japan, John took a leave of absence to return home to Massachusetts. During this time, the war ended and John was released from military service.
Phyllis, however, was still in service, stationed in San Antonio, Texas. Through an ardent campaign of love letters, the couple wed on June 18, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas. "I didn't want anybody to know I was getting married that afternoon". Phyllis told others later. Her boss didn't want her to take the afternoon off. Near the courthouse was a little store where the couple bought Phyllis's ring for $7. "It was exactly what I wanted." she said. John & Phyllis started their domestic life together, living in a trailer park in Bellefonte, PA., later moving closer to her husband's family in Maynard, MA. Their first daughter, Priscilla Irene, was born July 14, 1949, and their second daughter Katharine Olga on January 8, 1951. The addition of girls to the family lineage greatly delighted her husband's father as well as her own family.
Shortly thereafter, the couple decided to head West, having been enticed by the possibility of a job in California. Packing up the family, they drove first to California, and when a job failed to materialize, continued on, to stay with a war-time friend, Jean Fisher-Wennig and her husband in Salem, Oregon.
Phyllis and her family eventually settled in a post-war government housing, Kellogg Park, in Milwaukie, Oregon; later moving to a small rose draped cottage on Clatsop Street in Portland.
Their third child, a son, John Michael Popenuk was born August 13, 1954, in Portland. Phyllis and her husband both worked, Phyllis at home and John for Pacific Power and Light, as a draftsman. When their youngest child was old enough, Phyllis joined the workforce outside of the home as a Medical Technician at the University of Oregon Medical School (OHSU), where she received her official certification in September, 1962.
Phyllis continued her professional development, eventually achieving status as a Licensed Medical Technologist and went on to earning a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Oregon in 1984.
Both she and her husband worked hard to build their dream house in Aurora, Oregon, on the banks of the Willamette River. Many friends attended cookouts on the "Lot" before construction could begin. The family finally moved into their newly built home in the Summer of 1962. In the winter of ‘64, one of the worst floods in decades brought flood waters to a level of 5 feet in the basement of their home. The family was essentially stranded on an island for 5 days, waiting for the flood waters to recede. In 1982, both she and her husband retired from their long careers allowing them to travel to places such as the Caribbean, Guatemala, & Russia.
In 1985, Phyllis and her husband purchased an empty 2 acre parcel of land on the island of Maui. Immediately, trees were planted and an orchard was established containing many tropical fruit trees, banana plants, avocado trees and anything else that would grow. In 1993, a small house of unique architectural design was built. Phyllis and John spent each winter there, avoiding the cold wet Oregon weather and enjoying a tropical paradise. They were able to relax, read, wander through the gardens, pick fruit for the nearly non-profit fruit stand, explore the local parkland, & enjoy delicious, fresh meals and exotic tropical flowers.
Phyllis became a grandmother for the first time in 1981 with the birth of a grandson, John Misha Popenuk, the child of her son John. This was followed by the birth of another grandson, Nicholas Anthony Popenuk in 1983 and a granddaughter Natasha Noel in 1987. She very much loved her grandchildren and was very proud of them, lavishing them with hand knit and sewn hats, sweaters, and quilts. In 2011, Phyllis welcomed Connor and Mason Hughes into the family as grandsons when her son, John, remarried.
Phyllis was a master knitter and crochet artist, producing hundreds of knit hats for charity. She participated in knitting and quilting groups at the local senior center, sewing clothes for herself and her children, doing needle point & crocheting Christmas ornaments and gifts for her friends and family. She had an immense stockpile of yard waiting to be used when in 1993, she suffered a mild stroke that made it increasingly difficult for her to continue with her needlework. This incident however, also gave her the blessing of a new outlook on life, a renewed appreciation for each day, and a re-kindled affection for the people around her. From that day forward, she viewed her time together with the people she loved as a gift.
Phyllis was born Phyllis Adellaid Sholl, daughter of Ophelia Haupt-Sholl & John Ira Sholl on September 3, 1922 in the home of her grandfather in Milesberg, PA.
She was the eldest of 2 surviving daughters, her younger sister being Francis Sholl-Ginter of Bellefonte, PA. Her father, John, worked in the Bellefonte station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and her mother Ophelia was a school teacher.
Phyllis spent her early childhood as a "tomboy", fishing in the creek behind the family home, hanging out at the local swimming hole and running with the neighborhood gang of kids. She also enjoyed fishing and hunting with her father at the family cabin "Podunk" which she helped build with her father. Podunk remained one of her favorite memories her whole life being "a place of extraordinary quietness and peace, a place where you could enjoy the whole day fishing without catching a single fish of legal size." Phyllis did well in school, due to her sharp intelligence, perseverance, and the stern insistence of her school teacher mother. She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1940, and went on to attend Pennsylvania State University, studying the sciences such as Chemistry, Entomology, Botany, Physics, & Zoology.
Feeling the awful effects of WWII, losing too many of her friends and acquaintances, Phyllis dropped out of college to enlist in the Women's Army Corps.
99355869
After completing basic training she was sent to El Paso Texas, where she decided to train as a medical technician. She completed her training in August of 1945. She was then transferred to Des Moines Iowa, where she meet her future husband to be.
He was also in Des Moines at the time, on this particular evening, wandering the streets in a slightly inebriated state. Spotting two giggling WACs about town, he took it upon himself to follow them back to their hotel room they were sharing with 2 other girls, whom had already gone to bed. Sitting between them, on top of the covers, he had managed to charm his way into their room and into Phyllis's heart, "He was tall and good looking- Six foot two and eyes of blue. I knew dang well he was the one I wanted."
John Popieniuck had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Boston in 1941, after graduating from Franklin Technical Institute. In the Air Corps, he trained as an airplane and engine mechanic, and later in flight training and as a flight engineer. While at Randolph Field in San Antonio, he and his crew were involved in an airplane accident during takeoff. While the accident was being investigated, delaying his deployment over Japan, John took a leave of absence to return home to Massachusetts. During this time, the war ended and John was released from military service.
Phyllis, however, was still in service, stationed in San Antonio, Texas. Through an ardent campaign of love letters, the couple wed on June 18, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas. "I didn't want anybody to know I was getting married that afternoon". Phyllis told others later. Her boss didn't want her to take the afternoon off. Near the courthouse was a little store where the couple bought Phyllis's ring for $7. "It was exactly what I wanted." she said. John & Phyllis started their domestic life together, living in a trailer park in Bellefonte, PA., later moving closer to her husband's family in Maynard, MA. Their first daughter, Priscilla Irene, was born July 14, 1949, and their second daughter Katharine Olga on January 8, 1951. The addition of girls to the family lineage greatly delighted her husband's father as well as her own family.
Shortly thereafter, the couple decided to head West, having been enticed by the possibility of a job in California. Packing up the family, they drove first to California, and when a job failed to materialize, continued on, to stay with a war-time friend, Jean Fisher-Wennig and her husband in Salem, Oregon.
Phyllis and her family eventually settled in a post-war government housing, Kellogg Park, in Milwaukie, Oregon; later moving to a small rose draped cottage on Clatsop Street in Portland.
Their third child, a son, John Michael Popenuk was born August 13, 1954, in Portland. Phyllis and her husband both worked, Phyllis at home and John for Pacific Power and Light, as a draftsman. When their youngest child was old enough, Phyllis joined the workforce outside of the home as a Medical Technician at the University of Oregon Medical School (OHSU), where she received her official certification in September, 1962.
Phyllis continued her professional development, eventually achieving status as a Licensed Medical Technologist and went on to earning a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Oregon in 1984.
Both she and her husband worked hard to build their dream house in Aurora, Oregon, on the banks of the Willamette River. Many friends attended cookouts on the "Lot" before construction could begin. The family finally moved into their newly built home in the Summer of 1962. In the winter of ‘64, one of the worst floods in decades brought flood waters to a level of 5 feet in the basement of their home. The family was essentially stranded on an island for 5 days, waiting for the flood waters to recede. In 1982, both she and her husband retired from their long careers allowing them to travel to places such as the Caribbean, Guatemala, & Russia.
In 1985, Phyllis and her husband purchased an empty 2 acre parcel of land on the island of Maui. Immediately, trees were planted and an orchard was established containing many tropical fruit trees, banana plants, avocado trees and anything else that would grow. In 1993, a small house of unique architectural design was built. Phyllis and John spent each winter there, avoiding the cold wet Oregon weather and enjoying a tropical paradise. They were able to relax, read, wander through the gardens, pick fruit for the nearly non-profit fruit stand, explore the local parkland, & enjoy delicious, fresh meals and exotic tropical flowers.
Phyllis became a grandmother for the first time in 1981 with the birth of a grandson, John Misha Popenuk, the child of her son John. This was followed by the birth of another grandson, Nicholas Anthony Popenuk in 1983 and a granddaughter Natasha Noel in 1987. She very much loved her grandchildren and was very proud of them, lavishing them with hand knit and sewn hats, sweaters, and quilts. In 2011, Phyllis welcomed Connor and Mason Hughes into the family as grandsons when her son, John, remarried.
Phyllis was a master knitter and crochet artist, producing hundreds of knit hats for charity. She participated in knitting and quilting groups at the local senior center, sewing clothes for herself and her children, doing needle point & crocheting Christmas ornaments and gifts for her friends and family. She had an immense stockpile of yard waiting to be used when in 1993, she suffered a mild stroke that made it increasingly difficult for her to continue with her needlework. This incident however, also gave her the blessing of a new outlook on life, a renewed appreciation for each day, and a re-kindled affection for the people around her. From that day forward, she viewed her time together with the people she loved as a gift.
She was the eldest of 2 surviving daughters, her younger sister being Francis Sholl-Ginter of Bellefonte, PA. Her father, John, worked in the Bellefonte station of the Pennsylvania Railroad and her mother Ophelia was a school teacher.
Phyllis spent her early childhood as a "tomboy", fishing in the creek behind the family home, hanging out at the local swimming hole and running with the neighborhood gang of kids. She also enjoyed fishing and hunting with her father at the family cabin "Podunk" which she helped build with her father. Podunk remained one of her favorite memories her whole life being "a place of extraordinary quietness and peace, a place where you could enjoy the whole day fishing without catching a single fish of legal size." Phyllis did well in school, due to her sharp intelligence, perseverance, and the stern insistence of her school teacher mother. She graduated from Bellefonte High School in 1940, and went on to attend Pennsylvania State University, studying the sciences such as Chemistry, Entomology, Botany, Physics, & Zoology.
Feeling the awful effects of WWII, losing too many of her friends and acquaintances, Phyllis dropped out of college to enlist in the Women's Army Corps.
99355869
After completing basic training she was sent to El Paso Texas, where she decided to train as a medical technician. She completed her training in August of 1945. She was then transferred to Des Moines Iowa, where she meet her future husband to be.
He was also in Des Moines at the time, on this particular evening, wandering the streets in a slightly inebriated state. Spotting two giggling WACs about town, he took it upon himself to follow them back to their hotel room they were sharing with 2 other girls, whom had already gone to bed. Sitting between them, on top of the covers, he had managed to charm his way into their room and into Phyllis's heart, "He was tall and good looking- Six foot two and eyes of blue. I knew dang well he was the one I wanted."
John Popieniuck had enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Boston in 1941, after graduating from Franklin Technical Institute. In the Air Corps, he trained as an airplane and engine mechanic, and later in flight training and as a flight engineer. While at Randolph Field in San Antonio, he and his crew were involved in an airplane accident during takeoff. While the accident was being investigated, delaying his deployment over Japan, John took a leave of absence to return home to Massachusetts. During this time, the war ended and John was released from military service.
Phyllis, however, was still in service, stationed in San Antonio, Texas. Through an ardent campaign of love letters, the couple wed on June 18, 1946 in San Antonio, Texas. "I didn't want anybody to know I was getting married that afternoon". Phyllis told others later. Her boss didn't want her to take the afternoon off. Near the courthouse was a little store where the couple bought Phyllis's ring for $7. "It was exactly what I wanted." she said. John & Phyllis started their domestic life together, living in a trailer park in Bellefonte, PA., later moving closer to her husband's family in Maynard, MA. Their first daughter, Priscilla Irene, was born July 14, 1949, and their second daughter Katharine Olga on January 8, 1951. The addition of girls to the family lineage greatly delighted her husband's father as well as her own family.
Shortly thereafter, the couple decided to head West, having been enticed by the possibility of a job in California. Packing up the family, they drove first to California, and when a job failed to materialize, continued on, to stay with a war-time friend, Jean Fisher-Wennig and her husband in Salem, Oregon.
Phyllis and her family eventually settled in a post-war government housing, Kellogg Park, in Milwaukie, Oregon; later moving to a small rose draped cottage on Clatsop Street in Portland.
Their third child, a son, John Michael Popenuk was born August 13, 1954, in Portland. Phyllis and her husband both worked, Phyllis at home and John for Pacific Power and Light, as a draftsman. When their youngest child was old enough, Phyllis joined the workforce outside of the home as a Medical Technician at the University of Oregon Medical School (OHSU), where she received her official certification in September, 1962.
Phyllis continued her professional development, eventually achieving status as a Licensed Medical Technologist and went on to earning a Bachelors of Science Degree from the University of Oregon in 1984.
Both she and her husband worked hard to build their dream house in Aurora, Oregon, on the banks of the Willamette River. Many friends attended cookouts on the "Lot" before construction could begin. The family finally moved into their newly built home in the Summer of 1962. In the winter of ‘64, one of the worst floods in decades brought flood waters to a level of 5 feet in the basement of their home. The family was essentially stranded on an island for 5 days, waiting for the flood waters to recede. In 1982, both she and her husband retired from their long careers allowing them to travel to places such as the Caribbean, Guatemala, & Russia.
In 1985, Phyllis and her husband purchased an empty 2 acre parcel of land on the island of Maui. Immediately, trees were planted and an orchard was established containing many tropical fruit trees, banana plants, avocado trees and anything else that would grow. In 1993, a small house of unique architectural design was built. Phyllis and John spent each winter there, avoiding the cold wet Oregon weather and enjoying a tropical paradise. They were able to relax, read, wander through the gardens, pick fruit for the nearly non-profit fruit stand, explore the local parkland, & enjoy delicious, fresh meals and exotic tropical flowers.
Phyllis became a grandmother for the first time in 1981 with the birth of a grandson, John Misha Popenuk, the child of her son John. This was followed by the birth of another grandson, Nicholas Anthony Popenuk in 1983 and a granddaughter Natasha Noel in 1987. She very much loved her grandchildren and was very proud of them, lavishing them with hand knit and sewn hats, sweaters, and quilts. In 2011, Phyllis welcomed Connor and Mason Hughes into the family as grandsons when her son, John, remarried.
Phyllis was a master knitter and crochet artist, producing hundreds of knit hats for charity. She participated in knitting and quilting groups at the local senior center, sewing clothes for herself and her children, doing needle point & crocheting Christmas ornaments and gifts for her friends and family. She had an immense stockpile of yard waiting to be used when in 1993, she suffered a mild stroke that made it increasingly difficult for her to continue with her needlework. This incident however, also gave her the blessing of a new outlook on life, a renewed appreciation for each day, and a re-kindled affection for the people around her. From that day forward, she viewed her time together with the people she loved as a gift.
Family Members
Spouse
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
