Obituary of Phyllis Bieger

Phyllis Bieger is happy, and smiling, and dancing with Jack, her husband of 59 years, in heaven now.  She was 91 years young when she passed away on Thursday August 15, 2019 after leading an incredibly full life.  Phyllis was born in Brooklyn New York and moved at an early age to Ridgewood New Jersey where she grew up and lived until she met Jack and married him in 1954.

Phyllis was a pioneer; a tremendous athlete, she played 1^st base in semi-pro baseball after the war years and she was the first female lifeguard at her town pool in 1946, and was hailed for saving a drowning victim while on duty; it would be 28 years before another women was hired as a lifeguard at Graydon Pool in Ridgewood, NJ.

It was also in NJ, a few years later where she met Jack.  She loved to tell the story of how they met while in a bowling league on different teams.  Jack would tell people he picked her up in an alley, and she would always ask him to please say it was in a ‘bowling’ alley!

A leader her whole life, she took every chance to volunteer and help others.  She was a den mother for the Cub Scouts, a troop leader for the Girl Scouts, and a successful CYO basketball coach who took her church team from Nativity in Midland Park to the NJ state championships!  

She was a phone operator for Bell telephone when you were connected by hand, a bus driver, and a personal driver for a Fortune 500 CEO.  Phyllis tried out for, and was on, Jeopardy, and the $10,000 pyramid!

She ran for office and served on the Town Council, as well as the Board of Education in Waldwick NJ; the town where she and Jack raised their six children.

And she was a breast cancer survivor for over 50 years, at a time when the odds were stacked against survival.   

Our mother lived her life to the fullest and did so beginning at a time when women were supposed to only be wives.  To this day, when any of her children step up and take charge, they are invariably teased and called ‘Phyllis’.

She was our mother, and our coach; she was mom.  

She is survived by her six children and their spouses; John and Kathy Bieger, Michael and Karen Bieger, Kathi and Paul Puglise, Terri and Rich Ruf, Mary and Michael Prendergast, and Paul and Jen Bieger, her 15 grandchildren and one great grandchild.

She was predeceased by Jack Bieger, her husband of 59 years.

All are invited to come and celebrate her life this weekend.  The family will receive friends on Sunday, August 18^th from 2-4 and 7-9pm at the Vander Plaat Funeral Home, www.vpfh.com, 257 Godwin Ave. Wyckoff, NJ. 

A Funeral Service Mass will be celebrated on Monday, August 19^th at 10am at Church of the Nativity, 315 Prospect St., Midland Park, NJ. In lieu of flowers, donations in Phyllis’ memory can be made to the Rockville Centre Breast Cancer Coalition.