GOFF, Phyllis N., age 91

Died: Monday, April 3rd, 2017

Funeral Service: 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 8, 2017 at Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church in the Town of Drammen with Reverend JonPaul Dragseth officiating 

Visitation: 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, April 7, 2017 at Evergreen Funeral Home (off Golf Road one block east of Hwy 93)

Interment: Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Town of Drammen, Wisconsin

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred and can be given to either:
Eau Claire Community Foundation - The Goff Family Fund https://www.eccommunityfoundation.org/funds/goff-family-fund/
University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire Foundation, Inc.
http://www.uwec.edu/foundation/
Mayo Clinic for Alzheimer Disease Research, Rochester, MN http://www.mayo.edu/research/centers-programs/alzheimers-disease-research-center
or the Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church, Town of Drammen, WI

Phyllis N. Goff, age 91, of Eau Claire, passed away on Monday, April 3, 2017 at Our House Memory Care in Eau Claire.

Phyllis was born on January 19, 1926 on the family farm in the township of Dunn, Dunn County, WI to the late Arthur and Alice (Mewhorter) Neubauer. She was baptized along with siblings at home on July 24, 1927 by the pastor from St. Paul's Evangelical Church in Menomonie, WI.

She began her education at Bowman Elementary School in Menomonie in 1931. The family moved to southern California and in the fall of 1934 she attended elementary school in Prado, Riverside County, CA, receiving her 8^th grade diploma in June 1938.

At 11 years old, she held her first paying job. She went to Espinosa Pottery Stand in Prado and asked for a job painting pottery after school and on Saturdays. She and Mrs. Espinosa would pick out one hundred small pieces of pottery to be painted that week for which she was paid about 4 dollars.

When Phyllis was 12 years old and deciding on courses for high school, her dad told her she would need to take courses that would enable her to earn a living when she graduated. So she elected business courses to qualify her for a secretarial career. She received 3 years of high school in Corona, CA and started her senior year at Garden Grove Union High School. The family returned to Wisconsin in March of 1942. She had enough credits to receive her high school diploma in June with the class of 1942 from Garden Grove.

Phyllis had an early interest in reading as evidenced by a certificate presented to her in second grade. Her major interests were reading novels, writing letters, family genealogy, and history. In 1981, she inherited articles of family memorabilia from her mother that sparked an interest in learning more about her family. She found great joy and satisfaction in researching her family's genealogy, spending many hours copying by hand documents found primarily in Wisconsin courthouses. She was the "go to" person to ask about family history and arranged many family gatherings.

On May 5, 1946, Phyllis married John A. Goff at St. Katherine's Lutheran Church in Beyer Settlement, township of Red Cedar, Dunn County, WI. John died on September 15, 2011 at 90 years old. John and Phyllis enjoyed 65 years of marriage. John was the son of Mark J. and Clare (Tischman) Goff.

During her working career, Phyllis held various jobs as secretary and bookkeeper. In 1989, she retired from her position as Administrative Assistant with the University of Wisconsin - Eau Claire in the office for the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs.

She was a member of the Eau Claire Business and Professional Women as well as the Professional Secretaries International. Phyllis was the first woman in the Eau Claire area to pass the Certified Professional Secretary test. She was chosen "Secretary of the Year" by the Eau Claire Chapter of the National Secretaries Association in 1977.

Phyllis was a member of the Eau Claire Toastmistress Club, serving several offices both locally and at the regional level. She served on the Board of the American Cancer Society with two terms as secretary. Phyllis also was a member of the Genealogical Society of Eau Claire since 1982 and the Dunn County Genealogical Society since 1986.

She was a Chippewa County Board member from October 1980 to April 1998 as a representative of the 16^th ward of the City of Eau Claire. Phyllis was a faithful member of Pleasant Valley Lutheran Church in rural Eleva, WI.

Phyllis is survived by her sister, Carol Stanford of San Jose, CA; aunt, E. Maxine Anderson of Wausau, WI; god-daughter, Sue Blomquist of Osseo, WI; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her husband, John; parents; sister, Arlene (Barron); brothers, James, Albert, and Duane Neubauer; niece, Genea Stanford; nephew, Gary Clingman.