Phyllis Nadine Shanline, age 91, passed away peacefully on May 23, 2020 at Sunrise of Lenexa in Lenexa, Kansas, and a little bit of sunshine left this world with her. Phyllis was born October 16, 1928 in Augusta, Kansas, the eldest child of Victor and Lena Semisch.
Her parents loved music, and as a child she learned to harmonize with her father. People in her hometown would come to know her for her beautiful voice, and she even sang on her own radio show. Her impressive musical talent earned her a scholarship to Colorado Women’s College, where she studied voice after she graduated from Augusta High School. She would return to Kansas, however, and meet Rix Shanline while they were both students at Southwestern College and later at the University of Kansas, where they fell in love and were married June 5, 1949 in Augusta, Kansas.
They began a family right away and moved to Manhattan, Kansas in 1956 where they eventually celebrated 67 years of marriage before Rix’s passing in 2016.
Her creativity, kindness and the pure joy she took in the beauty around her drew people to her, and music was always an important part of who she was. She sang with delight, and was an artist, a poet, an actress, an enthusiastic hugger, a loving supportive wife and a truly nurturing mom. She was kind and left a loving legacy of gentleness and humor for her family. With all her talent, she once wrote that she considered her five daughters and their families her most important creations. She loved her family deeply and was deeply loved in return.
She used to sing lullabies to her daughters, and one of her favorites was the song that Wendy sang to the lost boys in the Disney version of Peter Pan called “Your Mother and Mine”. The last words of the song suit her well: “If you ask your heart what she’s worth, your heart must say ‘Heaven on Earth’. Another word for divine: your mother and mine.”
Phyllis is survived by her daughters Teresa, Ellen, Susan (Kaycie, Lynne and Amy, their spouses, eight grandchildren, one great-grandchild, her sister Jody and family.
Internment will be in the Kansas Veteran’s Cemetery at Fort Riley with the love of her life, her husband Rix. A Celebration of her life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Phyllis be sent to the Manhattan Arts Center, 1520 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, KS 66502 www.manhattanarts.org.
The Yorgensen-Meloan-Londeen Funeral Home, 1616 Poyntz Avenue, Manhattan, Kansas 66502, is assisting the family with the funeral arrangements.