Obituary: ​Phyllis Catherine (Borges) Walent, 94

PHYLLIS C. WALENT

“Loving, Life-Changing, & Trailblazing Grandmother”

Phyllis Catherine (Borges) Walent, a Life Saver toting legend in her own right, passed away at home June 23, 2022 at the ripe, young age of 94. She was the widow of William M. Walent, Jr.--the one true love of her life.

Older than sliced bread, Phyllis was born August 5, 1927 in Wilkes-Barre, PA. The daughter of the late John Borges and Catherine (Baab) Borges, Phyllis learned early to dazzle the world with her sparkle and sass. Graduating from high school early at the age of 16, Phyllis went on to attend Wyoming Seminary in Kingston, PA earning a degree in Bookkeeping and Accounting. After a move to Waterbury, CT with her heartthrob husband, Phyllis worked as both a partsman and bookkeeper for local Pontiac-Oldsmobile, Studabaker, and Cadillac dealerships. Her knowledge and skills regarding cars shattered 1950’s assumptions of women and challenged the patriarchy long before it was a safe and celebrated pastime.

After giving birth to her only daughter–Phyllis embraced motherhood by staying home with her daughter and opening her home to hundreds of children over the next two decades, owning and operating an in-home daycare. Upon retirement, she took on her most challenging, but also most rewarding, job ever–raising her then 3 year old granddaughter, with whom she lived until her passing.

Fiercely and unapologetically herself, Phyllis loved what she loved with reckless abandon. First and foremost, she loved her granddaughter Cheyenne and was so wildly proud of her accomplishments. An avid Bingo player, Phyllis spent many evenings praying to the Bingo gods for her lucky numbers to be called. She even ran the local Bingo at the Disabled American Veterans hall with her husband for over 20 years. She adored her brightly colored housecoats–often sending her granddaughter on shopping expeditions to find just the right one. Your taste buds would propose marriage to her cooking–and she loved cooking for friends and family. A lover of fast food as well, she started her Tour De Phyllis at the age of 90–a weekend of sampling all of the best options for local fast food. Phyllis also lovingly referred to herself as “The Life-Saver Lady.” If you met Phyllis–you got a mint. She might have thrown it at you…but when you were with Phyllis, you got nothing but love–and a mint.

She is survived by her granddaughter, Cheyenne Walent. Cheyenne has spent all the years of her life admiring the strong spirit and kind, loving heart that Phyllis showed the world on a daily basis. And Cheyenne will spend all the years she has left working tirelessly to make Phyllis proud and to change the world one mint at a time. She also leaves behind a brother John D. Borges of Tivoli, PA, many nieces, nephews, friends, friends-who-were-family, and adoring fans. She was predeceased by her three sisters: Lois Kresge, Theresa Gibbs, and Grace Felix.

Waiting for her on the other side are her loving husband, William M. Walent, Jr. and her only child, Phyllis Ann Walent–both of whom left her and this world far too early. Together again, they will continue to write the story of a family whose Earthly time together was cut far too short.

Arrangements: Calling hours for Phyllis will be held on Thursday, June 30, 2022 from 6 to 8 PM at Chase Parkway Memorial/Albini Family Funeral Home, 430 Chase Parkway, Waterbury, CT. Burial will be private and at the convenience of her granddaughter.

If you crossed paths with Phyllis in her time walking this Earth, then you know it was an honor to know her and a privilege to love her. With all that love she had to give, she didn’t have much love to give to flowers. So, in lieu of flowers–hug your loved ones extra tight, snag a life-saver and a good takeout, and know that memorial contributions can be made in her name to: DAV: Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301.

From her granddaughter, Cheyenne Walent

“There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they have gone, the light remains.”
It is with a broken, nearly shattered heart that I announce the passing of my fearless, trailblazing, loving, sasspot of a grandmother—the one and only Phyllis—on June 23, 2022.
The world lost a brilliant, radiant light.
The world lost a strong, unstoppable dynamo.
And I feel like a sidekick who is now desperately lost without her superhero.
But to know Phyllis was to know light, laughter, and love. If you knew Phyllis—then you know that it was an honor to know her and to love her.
And it will always be counted as the utmost privilege of my life to have been raised, loved, and inspired by this heaven sent gem.
If I leave this earth with no other accolades than to be known as Phyllis’s granddaughter, I will have lived a happy, wondrous life.
But I am absolutely devastated without her by my side. So…do me a favor—hug the ones you love extra tight, grab a mint (Life Saver Wintergreen, duh), and don’t take a moment of this life for granted.
Oh and hey.
Smile. Laugh. Dance. Wink at somebody. It’s what Phyllis would have wanted.