Phyllis Diane Rocco

It is with deep sadness we write to let you know Phyllis Diane Rocco passed away peacefully on June 25, 2024. She was surrounded by her husband, Patsy, and her children for several days before she went to Heaven.

Patsy Rocco and Phyllis Sens met when they were 15 years old at The Swank Roller Rink. They were married on November 24, 1951 and celebrated 72 years as a married couple last November. They would become proud parents of 5 children; Rae (Larry), Wendy (Alan), Perry (Bobbi), Lori (who they called “Our Little Angel” went to Heaven in 1965) and Becky (Jim). Phyllis was a doting grandparent to Kyle, Heather (Runyon), Jordan (Petersen), Carly, and Graham (Petersen). She loved her new role, as a Great Grandmother, when Cody (Heather’s son) was born on August 31, 2023. Phyllis was everything a perfect Mother and Grandma should be: Loving, positive, supportive and happy.

Phyllis was born on October 10, 1928. She was raised in Chicago after her parents, Adrian and Johanna Sens, immigrated from Europe to start a new life in America. Phyllis, a middle child, grew up with her siblings Milt (Sens) and Lois (Cataldo) in a 7-unit apartment building on the southside of Chicago, owned by her parents. Phyllis precedes her siblings in death. She attended school at Curtiss Grade School, Loretto Academy High School and Thornton Community College. She had a short career as a fashion model and a secretary while her future husband was at University of Georgia playing football.

When Phyllis was a teenager, her parents purchased a cottage on Flint Lake in Valparaiso, IN. It started out as a garage on a lake-front lot and ended up being a weekend retreat from hot and humid Chicago summers. Phyllis was able to spend time there with four different generations – her grandmother, her parents, her husband and eventually her children.

Phyllis and Patsy gave birth to their first child, Rae, in their first year of marriage. Phyllis quickly began her role as a stay-at-home mom – a role at which she excelled. It was paramount to Phyllis that all her children receive a college education. Clever as she was, she found a way to achieve that goal by working a part time career while still being home with her growing family. She worked 20 years with Queen's Way to Fashion, starting out as a salesperson, then climbing the ladder to Field Manager, overseeing 40 employees. Her next career choice was as a landlord with Patsy as her business partner. They purchased several small apartment buildings and eventually managed a total of 42 units. Phyllis then invested the proceeds into the stock market. She relished her time with her lawyer son, Perry, discussing stocks and investment ideas. Phyllis was the one to take the financial risks which lead to the financial gains for our family.

Phyllis and Patsy became world travelers in their mid-50's once their daughter, Wendy, provided free flights, which was one of her job perks at Delta Air Lines. Their first adventure, with their three daughters, was driving around Europe in a large Mercedes Benz. It was a whirlwind trip visiting these countries in two weeks: Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Italy and Holland. Phyllis enjoyed the luxury German Mercedes so much that she bought one herself while Patsy was out of town playing Poker in Las Vegas!

They also took many exciting cruises with their friends. They sailed to St. Maartin, St. John, St. Croix, Bermuda and St. Kitts. Their most exotic vacation was an African Safari in Kenya. Phyllis and Patsy were no strangers to the Hawaiian Islands as their youngest daughter, Becky, and her husband, Jim, moved to Kauai in 1990.

Phyllis and Patsy moved to Las Vegas permanently in 1998 after selling their long-time family home. Phyllis finally got to say “goodbye” to ice, snow, and the freezing temperatures of Chicago.

Phyllis was never one to just lounge by the pool. She came out of retirement to work at the Las Vegas Convention Center making friends along the way. She also started some new classes in Jazzercise, line dancing, and Tai Chi. Her exercise routine included swimming laps at the Rec Center. Phyllis was never compelled to play games at the casinos, but she did enjoy playing Bridge and golf. She played golf with Patsy and her son, Perry, in Las Vegas and loved it when she made a par! She also tried her skills at downhill snow skiing in Utah for the first time at 60 years old!

Phyllis was a wonderfully devoted wife and mother and a playful and loving grandmother. She was always positive about life and saw the glass half-full, even in hard times. Unfortunately, Phyllis’ dementia took control of her smart mind the final few years of her life. We will miss her laugh, her touch, and her smile. Rae and Larry were invaluable in taking care of Phyllis during the last four years of her steady decline. They would visit often and fire-up the grill for Sunday lunch. Phyllis was very fortunate to have a loving and selfless husband, Patsy, to devote every waking hour taking care of his life partner and wife of 72 years.

The family will celebrate her incredible and generous life on October 5, 2024 at her home in Las Vegas for an old-fashioned Splash Party in Patsy and Phyllis’ backyard pool. We hope you join us to tell your favorite memories of Phyllis while we share lots of cake and ice cream – Phyllis’ favorite food!

With love,

Patsy, Rae, Wendy, Perry, Becky and Lori (from Heaven!)

Cards are welcome, but in lieu of flowers please make a donation to The National Shrine of Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini (in Chicago) – the wonderful saint Phyllis prayed to her entire life.