Phyllis Anita Love, of Mitchellville, Maryland, departed this life peacefully on May 21, 2021, at Sibley Hospital, Washington, D.C. after a battle with leukemia.
Phyllis was born on November 19, 1954, in Washington, DC to Lucy Syrilla Love and Joseph Alvin Love. The first of three siblings, Phyllis’ life was surrounded by and devoted to her family. At the time her birth, Phyllis’ family lived in a close-knit neighborhood of uncles, aunts, and cousins. Her father and an uncle each purchased adjacent parcels of land in Brandywine, Maryland and Phyllis’ family moved to their newly built home in 1959.
Her parents built a tennis court at their home and Phyllis became an avid tennis player and loved to watch tennis matches. She also learned football - it was nothing she enjoyed more than to join her family watching or going to football games.
The Prince George’s County School District provided Phyllis’ primary and secondary education. In one of the first classes with African American students who integrated the county schools, she attended Brandywine Elementary School, Gwynn Park Junior High, and graduated from Gwynn Park High School in 1972. Phyllis was very active at school. She played clarinet in the high school band, was a cheerleader, worked on the newspaper, played on the girls’ volleyball team, and was a member of the Future Teachers of America and the Drama Club.
Phyllis was interested in the fashion industry and attended Maryland University, College Park, but completed her undergraduate studies at American University, where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Finance. Phyllis’ postgraduate studies took her to Los Angeles, where she attended Pepperdine University’s George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management and graduated with a Master of Business Administration.
As a young adult, Phyllis was an avid skier, who shared the love of this sport with her Aunt Modestine. Later, she became a road cyclist who on more than one occasion completed rides of over 100 miles. Phyllis was a mainstay at the Aqua Spin classes at the local recreation center. Phyllis never lost touch with her creative side – she designed and created jewelry and she also dabbled with quilting.
In 1993, Phyllis’ heart led her to join Metropolitan Baptist Church where she developed her love of singing and became active in the Metropolitan Music Ministry’s Chorus Choir, where she held down the soprano section. She also did announcement voiceover for the Multimedia Ministry.
The banking and accounting sectors held Phyllis’ professional interest and she worked in these fields in Maryland, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, and New York City. She later had a distinguished career in community outreach, policy, external affairs, and legislative affairs, with Presidential appointments in the Office of the Vice President of the United States and in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). She also held positions in the US Department of the Treasury, the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform; Washington Alexander, LLC; the Hillary Clinton for President Campaign; and CH2M Hill.
Phyllis is predeceased by her mother, Lucy Syrilla Love; brother, Byron L. Love; aunts and uncles, Harold M. Love, Sr., Arnold G. Love, Samuel D. Love, Jr., Modestine L. Love, Lillian E. Grandy, Nannie R. Cager, George W. Cager; and cousin, LaDonna C. Love.
Phyllis leaves many family member to remember her loving spirit in Maryland, Tennessee, Georgia, and Washington, DC, including her father, Joseph Alvin Love; son, Brandon Love; brother, Eric D. Love (Marnita); niece and nephew - Janel Love and Bryan Love; uncle, Wilbert H. Grandy, Sr.; cousins, Wilbert H. Grandy, Jr., Johnny K. Brown, Jr., Mialan V. Love, H. Clifton Grandy, Esq. (Nancy Lucas), Stanford D. Love, Timothy Q. Grandy, Chrystal Love Cunningham, Candyce A. Love, Cheryl L. Love, Caralyn A. Love, and Rev. Dr. Harold M. Love, Jr. (Leah) and by a host of other relatives and many friends.
Service will be held by Metropolitan Baptist Church at Calvary Episcopal Church, Capitol Hill, 820 - 6th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20002, on Saturday, July 17, 2021. The family can be greeted starting at 10:00 a.m. until the homegoing service, which starts at 11:00 a.m. The family requests that a memorial contribution be made to the Metropolitan Baptist Church, Largo Maryland in lieu of flowers.
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