Phyllis Brown Perkins (Hartley) Howard

Phyllis Howard was born February 24, 1934, in Bluffton, Indiana, to E. B. and Velda Hartley, the oldest of three girls. She died at her home on September 12 after successfully living with cancer for 14 years.     Phyllis spent her childhood in various parsonages in northeast Indiana as part of the Hartley ministry team and spent vacations and holidays with the large extended family from both sides who all lived in Indiana.  In 1952 she graduated from Elkhart, Indiana, High School, and shortly thereafter, joined her family in a momentous move across the country to Idaho.  Her father and the rest of the family began a ministry in Moscow, Idaho, and Phyllis entered Northwest Nazarene College as a freshman.  This began a relationship which would last for the rest of her life as she graduated from NNC in 1956 as a Business Major, taught at NNC  in the Business Department for a total of nine years, was awarded Alumna of the Year by NNU in 1999, was a member of the NNU Alumni Board , serving as vice-president for some years, and began the Southern California Chapter of the Alumni Association, and, most recently, received the prestigious Wesley Servant Leadership Award from NNU at the Nazarene General Assembly in Indianapolis in June of 2017. 

In addition to her work at NNU, Phyllis served on the staff of Senator Dworshak (R) of Idaho in Washington, D.C., was a missionary to Japan for five years for the Church of the Nazarene, was the Field Director for Sahuaro Girl Scout Council in Tucson, Arizona, was named Director of Nazarene World Missions Society (now Nazarene Missions International)  in Kansas City, and was a professor and Vice president for Academic Affairs at Nazarene Bible College in Colorado Springs, CO.  In these roles, she traveled the world, influencing the globalization of the Church of the Nazarene and helping to design and implement the preparation of the next generation of pastors and leaders of the church. 

Phyllis received her Master’s Degree in Business Education from Oregon State University in 1959.  Her Ed.D. from Arizona State University in Business Education was awarded in December of 1983.  She was ordained an elder in the Church of the Nazarene in 1992.  She was a champion of women in ministry, serving on the Nazarene Clergywomen’s Board and as editor of their newsletter, as the denominational representative to the Women’s commission of the National Association of Evangelicals, and as the Nazarene representative on Wesleyan Holiness Clergy Women Planning Committee.  The Nazarene Clergywomen presented her with an award in 2013 in Indianapolis.  She authored several books, two of which were, “Together in Ministry, With Hearts Set on Pilgrimage,” and “Women in Nazarene Missions, Embracing the Legacy.”

Phyllis was the” second wife three times.”  She married three amazing men after their spouses had died, two pastors and one physician.  In 1973 she married Dr. Melza Brown in Boise, Idaho and instantly gained a whole new family – all the way to greatgrandchildren.  They had four good years together before he passed away in 1977.  In 1984, she married Dr. Floyd Perkins at College Church in Nampa, and she followed him to Colorado Springs to the Nazarene Bible College where he was a professor.  She gained another wonderful family.  Phyllis never subtracted a family she already had, she just added.  And she got the joy of becoming the only grandmother several Perkins/Tedder children ever knew.  Phyllis and Floyd were married for almost 25 years, teaching and administering at the Bible College, speaking at innumerable Faith Promise conventions, traveling the world together to see their missionary children, and finally retiring together to Casa Robles, California, and then Nampa, Idaho.  Floyd passed away in 2008.  In 2011, she married Dr. Quentin Howard in Meridian, gaining another beautiful family, and moving into Meadow Lake Village Retirement Center with him.  Although he had Parkinson’s disease and she had stage 4 cancer, they chose to spend these last years together, and were richly blessed by that choice.  Dr. Quentin passed away in 2014.  In 2016, Phyllis became Chaplain of the St. Louise Chapel at Meadow Lake Village in Meridian, a position she retained until July of 2017. 

 Although Phyllis held outstanding leadership positions and influenced global and international decisions and directions, she was perhaps characterized best by her commitment to individual family members and friends.  She retained friends from her childhood, her teen years, her college experience, and every position she ever held.  She was a loyal, considerate and caring friend, and, as with her new families, she never subtracted friends, only added.  At a recent birthday, we had a tea for her “lunch friends,” those with whom she went to lunch frequently, and there were at least 15 of them.  She continued to send birthday and anniversary cards to friends and family right up through September of 2017. 

Phyllis is survived by her two sisters, Sharon Mowry of Nampa, and Marilyn McKay (Neil) of Nampa, and a host of step-children, step-grandchildren and step-great grandchildren from the Brown, Perkins and Howard families, and numerous nieces and nephews.  She treasured each of them right to the end of her life.

There will be a time of visitation and a viewing at the Nampa Funeral Home, Yraguen Chapel, 415 12th Ave. So. 208-442-8171 on Sunday, September 17, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m.  A Funeral Service will be at the Nampa First Church of the Nazarene, 601 16th Ave. So. on Monday, September 18, at 1:00 p.m.  Burial will take place at Hillcrest Cemetery following the service.  An online guest book is available at www.nampafuneralhome.com  The family suggests that memorial contributions be made to Northwest Nazarene University Alumni Association, 623 So. University Blvd., Nampa, Idaho 83686. 

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