GREENVILLE — Phyllis Barnes Magee, the mother of three sons and a beloved first-grade teacher for 40 years, died peacefully at the Daughters of Sarah Nursing Home on Thursday, May 28, 2020. She was 91.

She was born on June 21, 1928 in Catskill, the daughter of the late LeRoy and Syrene Brockett Barnes of the Town of Durham.

A graduate of the Greenville School District’s Class of 1945, she received her bachelor’s degree in elementary education from the State University of New York College at New Paltz.

“She was a beloved first-grade teacher for 40 years, 34 of those served in the Greenville Central School District,” her family wrote in a tribute. “With a glint in her eye, she often recalled the year she taught one of her granddaughters in her classroom. She soon transitioned from ‘Mrs. Magee’ to ‘Grandma’ to everyone in the elementary school.

Phyllis and Vernon F. “Flip” Magee married in 1951 and together they had three sons: Rick, Ron, and Randy. As the boys grew up, Phyllis and Vernon focused on family activities, such as Antique Car Club meets and shows, and go-kart racing.

Their marriage ended only with his death on March 24, 1995.

“Phyllis was always supportive of her kids and grandkids, and all of their activities,” her family wrote. “In her retirement, Phyllis immersed herself in a flotilla of activities, including Meals on Wheels, the United Methodist Church of Greenville and Norton Hill’s Sunday School and Thrift Shop, and babysitting her grandchildren.”

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Phyllis Barnes Magee is survived by her three sons, Richard Magee and his wife, Debbie, and Ronald Magee and his wife, Phyllis, all of Greenville, and Randall Magee and his wife, Glenna, of South Carolina; six grandchildren, Jennifer Nicholsen and her husband, Erik, Dr. Kristy Magee, Tracy Ricci and her husband, Ryan, Shelby Magee, Erin Magee, and Ryan Magee; and two great-grandsons, Callum and Gage Nicholsen.

A private graveside service will be held on Friday, June 5, in the Greenville Cemetery.

Memorial messages may be left at www.altamontenterprise.com/milestones.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Asbury United Methodist Church, Post Office Box 599, Greenville, NY 12083, or to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 16th Floor, New York, NY 10001.