Phyllis Carlin, 87, St. Cloud, formerly of Clear Lake

December 12, 1933 – April 18, 2020

The Mass of Christian Burial, celebrating the life of Phyllis Carlin, age 87, of St. Cloud, formerly of Clear Lake, will be 11:00 AM, Thursday, April 29, at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in St. Cloud. Burial will be in the St. Marcus parish cemetery in Clear Lake. Phyllis died Sunday from complications of Alzheimer’s. There will be a visitation from 4-8:00 PM on Wednesday, April 28 at the Miller-Carlin Funeral Home in St. Cloud and after 10:00 AM Thursday at the church.

Phyllis was born December 12, 1933, in Clearwater, to Ray and Christina (Dykhoff) Barnum. She graduated from St. Cloud Technical High School in 1951. She was working in the office of the St. Cloud Reformatory where she met a young guard, Leo Carlin. The two were married on July 10, 1954, in St. Luke’s Catholic Church in Clearwater. They settled into their home in Clear Lake where Phyllis was a homemaker, raising their six children. In 1969, Phyllis began working at Clearview Elementary as the school secretary, a position she held until 1989. Phyllis was known at Clearview for her fast typing skills. She enjoyed; crocheting, needle point, jigsaw puzzles, family gatherings, sewing (especially pajamas for her grandchildren) and traveling. Her travels took her and Leo to Columbia, South America, Ireland, Europe, Canada and many parts of the United States. Her children will remember her for her potato salad and her turkey dressing. After her retirement in 1989, Phyllis and Leo spent over 13 winters in Winter Haven, Florida. After Leo’s death in 2012, Phyllis stayed in Clear Lake until moving into Cherrywood Assisted Living in St. Cloud. She was a member of St. Marcus Catholic Church for over 65 years where she was a church organist and sang in the church choir. She was also a Lifetime member of the St. Marcus Christian Mothers.

Phyllis is survived by her children, Barry Carlin, Winter Haven, FL; Rebecca Carlin, Winter Haven, FL; Peggy (Marv) Engen, Clear Lake; Pat (Michelle) Carlin, Big Lake; Connie (Paul Voge) Carlin, Duluth; and Bill (Lezlie) Carlin, St. Cloud. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Rachel Engen, Brian Engen, Mitchell (Mike Villa) Engen, Mary Carlin, Jack Voge, Broderick (Justy) Carlin, Kortney Carlin, Morgan Carlin and Chandler Carlin.

Phyllis is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Leo and her sister, Doris Miller.

The family would like to offer a special thank you to Cherrywood Assisted Living and the St. Croix Hospice for the care they gave Phyllis. We also want to thank Fr. Virgil Helmin, JCL, Fr. Greggory Mastey and Fr. Joe Herzing for making sure Phyllis has a Catholic funeral and Holy Spirit Catholic Church for opening their church for her funeral.