Phyllis Mae Takalo Amsberry

Phyllis Mae Takalo Amsberry, 96, passed away on April 15 at her home in Corvallis.

Phyllis was born in Astoria in 1926, near the Columbia River, and had fond memories of living on a houseboat with her family. She grew up on her grandfather’s farm and was surrounded by 21 cousins.

After graduating from Knappa High School, she attended Oregon State University. Phyllis then moved to Sacramento, California, where she studied food nutrition at Sacramento State College (now called California State University, Sacramento) before receiving a degree in English literature.

In college, she met her future husband, Dale Sterling Amsberry, and they both went on to be teachers. Phyllis and Sterling taught school and raised their family in Petaluma, California, until they retired and returned to the Astoria area.

They built a house in the woods in Brownsmead, and later bought a beautiful condo overlooking the Columbia River, which Phyllis always said was her favorite place to live. In her later years, Phyllis lived at Timberhill Place, an assisted living community in Corvallis.

Phyllis was a voracious reader and a prolific writer of stories and poems. She loved the outdoors, gardening, cooking and watching birds.

She is survived by her two daughters, Kelly and Dawn, and her two granddaughters, Erin and Zoe.
Phyllis is buried at the Knappa Prairie Cemetery.