Obituary: PHILLIPS, JENNY G

Jenny G. Phillips1949 ~ 2011Jenny G. Phillips passed away on December 16, 2011. She is now joyfully reunited with her parents who preceded her in death. Born September 14, 1949 in Rexburg, Idaho to E. Max and Betty K. Phillips, she is survived by her siblings Pat Mead (Dave), Burton Phillips (Kathy), Evelyn Frank (Doug), Kathleen McGarry (Tim), and Gail Taylor (Bruce).Jenny graduated from Madison High School then attended Ricks College and the University of Idaho each for one year. Not feeling that pursuing a higher education was right for her at the time, she moved to Salt Lake City where she worked for Utah Press Association for five years in clerical positions.In 1975, she returned to college enrolling at the University of Utah. While pursuing her bachelor's degree, Jenny discovered she had an affinity for statistical analysis. She took four quarters of statistics in her undergraduate and graduate programs. After graduating with a degree in psychology, she pursued a master's degree in economics. She graduated with honors in both her undergraduate and graduate programs.While in graduate school, she met her future husband, Gary Lazerus. They were married on June 13, 1979 at Snowbird, Utah, and later divorced after 21 years of marriage.She worked for Hercules, Inc. for seven years in variety of positions. Her love of statistics drew her to more analytical areas within Human Resources. One of her first assignments was to prepare an affirmative action plan. Soon after she became a Compensation Analyst and then was assigned responsibility for assisting in the development of a Human Resources Information System (HRIS). She was later promoted to Manager of HRIS and Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO).While married, Gary accepted a job transfer to Chicago. Jenny viewed this as an opportunity to broaden her horizons in a much larger and competitive job market. She had specialized in HRIS and worked for G. D. Searle as Manager, HRIS for five years. She then accepted a position at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, again, as Manger, HRIS. Jenny and Gary returned to Salt Lake City in 1997 to enjoy the mountains and retirement.Jenny loved the outdoors, fishing, music and was an avid gardener. She could often be found fishing in the Uintahs with her beloved dog, Bailey. She had a great respect for the outdoors. She loved being in the mountains where she could see for miles and miles all the beauty God has given us. She felt at peace with herself and God whenever she was in the mountains.One day Jenny ran across a quote that seemed to sum up her feelings about what beauty God had granted us in nature. It said, "Within the shady woodland---be still and know that I am God." She never knew who had written or spoken this phrase but the sentiment expressed something she had felt and thought for many years. Only God could create all the beauty surrounding her. It always seemed to Jenny that when she was in the city or suburbs, her music brought her the comfort and solace she needed. In the mountains, she never needed her music. It was enough just to listen to the sounds of nature and enjoy the view.Jenny had a very generous heart and was a true champion of the underdog whether they were human or animal. One evening the local news reported that a dog had been shot and that the owner's family could not afford the veterinarian bills. The next morning she called the vet and donated the money to pay for the dog's care. This is just one example of her many acts of kindness.A private graveside memorial took place on Dec. 22 in Tetonia, Idaho.