Phyllis Mae (Ryder) Johnston was born on January 3, 1936, to Harry and Alice Ryder in Ione, WA.  She spent her early years growing up in Lost Creek with her parents, older brother Stan, and older sister Alice.  She went to a one room schoolhouse in Lost Creek and started school early as there were no other children to play with!  She spent a lot of time fishing and playing in the creek.  Her father died of complications from an injury when she was 10, and her mother and the two girls moved to Ione.  Her brother Stan was a pilot in the Navy and helped support his mother and sisters.  She went to school in Ione and graduated in 1953.  She worked running the projector at the Show House in Ione that is now the Baptist Church.  She also worked at the bakery in Ione and then was hired at Box Canyon Dam when the dam was being built.  She hired the laborers and was only 18 at the time.  Later, she worked at Ione State Bank as a bank teller.
She married James (Jim) Johnston in 1960 and a short time later, they bought the property they both lived on for the remainder of their lives.  Jim and Phyllis raised four children, Shannon (Stan) Haney, Kim (Miles) Hartill, Charlene (Derek) Dobell, and Harry "Jiff" Johnston.  They farmed, raised a few cows and Quarter horses, and had a big garden.  Phyllis went back to work at the bank when the children were young, and then went to work at the school as a teacher's aide later on.  Jim and Phyllis were married for 54 years until Jim passed away in 2014.
Phyllis totally enjoyed her grandchildren and great grandchildren.  She attended their sporting events whenever possible.  She loved to garden and had a lot of beautiful flowers in her yard.  She was also a great cook and baker and made delicious dinner rolls, pies, and cookies.  She was a huge Gonzaga fan and rarely missed watching Gonzaga basketball on TV.  Family knew not to call or bother her during a Gonzaga game!  She was very involved in the Pend Oreille County Fair and enjoyed watching all of the events the kids participated in, and later enjoyed the Colville and Valley Fairs watching her grandchildren.  In later years, Phyllis had limited vision due to macular degeneration but that didn't stop her from going places and attending events.
Phyllis was a spitfire and everyone knew this.  She had no problem telling you what she thought!  Anyone who knew Phyllis could tell you a few stories!  She had her great sense of humor right up until the end of her life.  She passed away on August 8, 2024, at Mt. Carmel Hospital in Colville following complications with her lungs.  She will be greatly missed by her family and friends.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Jim, older brother Stan Ryder, older sister Alice Swanger, twin siblings who died shortly after birth, and Bobby, a brother who died in early childhood, and a granddaughter Lydia.  She had 14 living grandchildren, 3 step grandchildren, and 22 great grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held at the First Congregational Church in Ione (where she was a member and attended for over 75 years) on Saturday, September 28, 2024, at 11:00 a.m.