Memorial services for Phyllis Hepler Mackey, 92, of Livingston, Texas, will be held Monday, July 8, 2019 at 10:00 a.m. in the First Presbyterian Church in Livingston, Texas with Rev. Joe MacDonald officiating.

Mrs. Mackey was born July 4, 1926 in Bath County, Virginia to Merlin Judson Hepler and Margaret Belle (Vines) Hepler and passed away July 1, 2019 in Livingston, Texas. She is preceded in death by her parents; sister, Jane Strasser; and brothers, Merlin Judson Hepler Jr., Richard Lee Hepler, Paul Edwin Hepler, and George Abbott Hepler.

She is survived by her husband, Hershel James Mackey of Livingston; son, James Craig Mackey and wife, Patricia of Onalaska; daughter, Teri Lea Quidas and husband, William of Preston, Maryland; brothers, Frank Hepler and wife, Shirley of Easton, Maryland, and Stephen Douglas Hepler of Anaheim, California; grandchildren, Kerianne Jackson and husband, Robert, Jacob Mackey, Carol Collins and husband, Timothy, Nancy Quidas and husband, Denny Greenway; numerous great-grandchildren, 1 great-great-grandchild, and many other relatives and friends.

Phyllis was a 1943 graduate of Valley High School in Hot Springs, Virginia, obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree at Cerritos College in Cerritos, California in 1980, and a Bachelor of Arts degree at California State University in Fullerton, California in 1983. While at Cerritos College, she received the Outstanding Academic Award in Philosophy.

Phyllis' first job after graduating high school was with the FBI where she was awarded a Certificate of Honorable War Service in WWII, signed by J. Edgar Hoover in 1943. Soon after her marriage in 1946, she moved to California and worked as a secretary for senior executives in banking, utilities and the Whittier Independent School District, except for a couple of intervals when her children were born. She retired in 1984 and moved to Texas, where she spent several years as a substitute teacher in the Livingston Independent School District. She was a strong believer in volunteerism and community involvement. Under the guidance of the Polk County Extension Office she, along with others, initiated a literacy program to help adults read. She joined with Faye Jackson and others to "Keep Polk County Beautiful," and she was the program chairperson for the Livingston Community Concert Association for nearly 20 years.

Phyllis became a member of Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority in 1950, Daughters of the American Revolution in 1958, American Association of University Women in 1983, South Polk County Volunteer Fire Department in 1986, and an elder in the Presbyterian Church in 1955.

The family would like to thank Dr. Jerry Wood for keeping her healthy for over thirty years, the Bradford and Timberwood Nursing Homes for their efforts to rehabilitate her after a tragic vehicle accident, and Hospice In The Pines for making her comfortable and pain free during the last days of her earthly life, and Carolee Day for the invaluable advice and council on end-of-life issues.

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In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to the First Presbyterian Church, Audio/Visual Fund, 910 N. Washington Ave., Livingston, Texas 77351.