Phyllis Faye (McClain) Perkins, 75, of Morgantown, passed away on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2022, at Mon Health Medical Center. She was born on Aug. 25, 1947, in Huntingdon, Pa., daughter of the late Wilmer Eugene and Elda Wilmenia (Taylor) McClain.
She made note to her nephew that when it was time for her to go, God will have set that time for her to go to heaven to join her family and her special dog, Holly Beth.
Faye was dedicated to her job at Mylan, where she worked for 37 and a half years, and made many friends there. When she invited friends and family to her retirement dinner at Oliverio’s, she was surprised when Mr. Puskar called to thank her for her dedicated services and wished her the best in her retirement years.
Faye will no doubt be known by both family and friends for her unshaken compassion, her unfailing empathy and her unwavering love for not only friends, family and her pets over the years, but also those she had never met.
Faye’s first love was Jesus Christ. She was dedicated to living out the Christian faith and worshipped God in both word and deed. You look at Faye, and you see God’s love for you.
Faye was a regular attendee of the Morgantown Bible Church in Brookhaven. A longtime friend at the church said she spoke boldly about God. Each time during prayer requests, she asked that everyone pray for the children, pray for our country and thanked God for all he has done in her life. She was very uplifting and inspirational to those in attendance.
The last few years, due to illnesses, she spent a good amount of time in both hospitals and nursing homes. She actually took these opportunities to witness God in word and song, often times singing hymns that patients would hear outside her room. She felt this was a calling for her to give hope to the sick, while at the same time, she was often praying for her own life.
She was also a member off and on for years with Covenant Church on Greenbag Road, where she actively participated with their Health and Welfare program, providing food for the needy. Not only did she greet them, but oftentimes she would present them with her handmade artistic cards with a message expressing the love and hope of God. She was also very active in their Knots of Love program, sitting with other church members making quilts and shawls for those in need.
Throughout her life, as she interacted with those she knew and even those she may have just met, she had a way of not preaching but merely sharing God’s word, which she looked at as “planting seeds.”
Faye resided in the same home since she was born. When her mother became ill, she took care of her while working full shifts at Mylan Pharmaceuticals, and when her father became ill, she did the same.
She was a multi-tasker then and up until her health held her back. Besides her work in the church activities, because she was born with two green thumbs, she had a huge garden that she tilled every year and grew vegetables as well as nurturing a peach tree and grapevines. She was known to share her harvest with co-workers and neighbors as well. All the while, she kept a perfect lawn. Through even this past summer, she was seen regularly in her wheelchair on her porch nurturing her potted vegetable and flower plants, loving every minute of it.
On a personal level, she was quite the artist, especially her drawings of birds and flowers. When she was at restaurants with friends, she was known to take a napkin and pencil and draw a beautiful bird and give it to the waiter who would be amazed. Her fun time was watching professional wrestling, which would keep her up all night at times.
Her friends and family were blessed each year with individualized cards and yearly calendars. Throughout the years, she was quite the seamstress as well. Throughout her home, one can see her creative ability, which made it a loving place to visit.
Those she leaves to cherish her memories are her husband, Tim, whom she married at the age of 72; her nephew, Tyler Sickles, whom she loved dearly as well as his wife, Shawna; her great-nephew, Chadwick, and great-niece, Chacelyn; the family dog, Buddie, who will miss her dearly; and past co-workers and friends, too many to count.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her sister, Wanda Sickles, and her brother-in-law, John Sickles.
Friends and family will be received at Hastings Funeral Home, 153 Spruce St., Morgantown, from 10 a.m. until the time of the funeral service at noon on Wednesday, Oct. 26, with Pastor Jim Cooley officiating. Interment will follow at Beverly Hills Memorial Gardens in Westover.
Condolences:
www.hastingsfuneralhome.com
