Phyllis Rapp

Fountain Hills lost another true pioneer with the passing of Phyllis Rapp.

She and her husband, Gil, moved to the fledgling community of Fountain Hills in January,1973, when the snakes and coyotes outnumbered residents.

Phyllis was born on Dec. 24,1926, in Cincinnati, Ohio, to Edward L. and Lula (Supe) Kettler. She passed peacefully on July 10, 2023.

In Cincinnati, her first job was at Powell-Value Manufacturing during World War II. She was employed at Spring Grove Cemetery, the second largest cemetery in the United States, for 10 years. When she arrived in Fountain Hills, she worked at the MCO Realty Company for 10 years. She was a longtime member of the Fountain Hills Presbyterian Church.

She loved to golf. Her most interesting accomplishment was getting two holes in one, one in Cincinnati and one in Fountain Hills. Her husband wasn’t too happy at the time, as he had to pay for drinks for everyone in the clubhouse!

She and her husband met on a blind date to a church dance. They married in 1950 and were married almost 60 years before Gil’s passing in 2010. Although she never had any children, Phyl leaves behind many nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and even great-great nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her brother, Edward F Kettler, and sister-in-law, Regina Kettler.

There will be no services in Fountain Hills. A service will be held at a later date in Cincinnati, Ohio.