Phyllis E. McLeod
Phyllis Elaine McLeod, age 88, of Detroit Lakes, MN, passed away December 26, 2020 of complications related to Alzheimer’s Disease. Phyllis was born to Parnell and Evelyn Smeby in Fargo, ND on March 17, 1932. She attended Oak Grove Lutheran High School where she became an accomplished pianist and graduated at the age of seventeen with the class of 1949. She graduated from Moorhead State (Teachers College) University in 1950 with an Associate Degree in Education, later returning in 1972 to earn her Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. Phyllis started her teaching career in Detroit Lakes where she met Elton “Sonny” McLeod. They were married in Hickson, ND on August 17, 1952. They lived in Hibbing, MN for a few years before settling in Detroit Lakes to raise their family. Phyllis enjoyed a long career in teaching and assumed she would put her career on hold when she and Sonny started their family, but each time she tried to quit, the school would ask her to come back and she would. Phyllis taught in Detroit Lakes, White Earth, and Waubun, and in every grade except first. She spent most of her years teaching third grade which was her favorite. She retired in 1997 after more than thirty-five years in the profession. Phyllis was a proud member of the Alpha Delta Kappa (ADK) International Honorary Sorority for Women Educators and supported TeacHaiti, an organization whose mission is to bring children out of poverty through education.