Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

To Phyllis Hale, lab coats plus laughter equaled chemistry magic. Hale didn’t start out to be a chemist; she went to school to be a pharmacist, but she got sidetracked near the end of her schooling, and as a result, she ended up getting a degree in the field of science and chemistry. Her first job was at Great Lakes Research in Elizabethton, where she worked until it closed.

Hale died Feb. 17 at the age of 80.

Hale’s daughter, Hollii, looking back at her mother’s life, noted that her mother was a very smart person and probably had no idea when she was growing up that one day she would work in the field of science and chemistry. “She sort of got drawn into it when she married my dad, T.J. Hale Jr., whose father was a pharmacist and, with his wife, Hazel, owned Hale’s Drug Store in Elizabethton. She and my dad lived in Memphis for several years, where they both went to pharmacy school. He had a semester or two left of school and decided to quit. They both missed home and being away from family. My dad especially found it hard to handle. So, they moved back to Elizabethton and lived with his parents for a while. My mom continued her education at Milligan College in the field of science and chemistry,” she shared.

At Great Lakes Research, her love for science and chemistry became more pronounced, and she thrived. When Great Lakes closed its plant in Elizabethton, Phyllis went to work at Tri-State Analytical Laboratory as an environmental chemist and worked there from 1984 to 2008. Her job consisted of doing water samples from wells all over Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia.

When that job closed, the company wanted to send Phyllis to Texas; however, she did not want to leave her family, so she decided to stay in Elizabethton. From 2008 to 2009, she served as laboratory director at GPL Laboratory.

By this time, the family had purchased a home on Maryetta Drive, and Phyllis had a daughter, Hollii, who became a teacher and presently teaches at Unaka Elementary. For a time, Phyllis, during her retirement, served as a tutor at the school.

Later, she oversaw the library at Roan Street Free Will Baptist Church, where she was a longtime member. She enjoyed reading, and she enjoyed watching the Lady Vols play basketball and the men’s football and basketball teams. Hollii said her mother also enjoyed listening to gospel music. “Probably her favorite song was ‘Amazing Grace’ played on bagpipes.”

“She was a very well-rounded person. At church, she was always helping with making fruit baskets at Christmas and fixing food for funerals. Anytime there was something to do, she showed up to do it … you could always count on her,” said Hollii.

She noted that at one time, her parents opened their home to an exchange student, who was a freshman in high school. The girl, Betsy Duarte Shepard, who now lives in California, still remains friends with Hollii.

Phyllis achieved much in life, and during her latter days, she enjoyed reading and watching the deer that visited her backyard.

“My mama was a very smart person, who could do a lot of things. She loved her family, her church, and friends, and all the time was doing something for others. During the month of February, she was pretty much bedridden and, because of dementia, was unable to do a lot,” said Hollii.

In addition to Hollii, Phyllis had a granddaughter, Halli, and enjoyed her pet cat, Susie. She also had two brothers, Benny, who lives in Elizabethton, and Louis, who, with his wife, resides in Knoxville, and a sister, Marcia, of Georgia.

Phyllis was laid to rest Feb. 22 at Happy Valley Memorial Park.

Phyllis Hale was a chemist when it was not the most traditional job for women, but she was good at what she did. To most, she will be remembered for her kind smile, kind heart, and love for people. She was willing to go the extra mile to help those in need. She left an example for us all to live by.