Phyllis Mae Hoenig (née Howard) of Mahopac, New York, passed away peacefully after a short battle with pancreatic cancer on October 3, 2025. She was 86.
Born on October 17, 1938, in Lexington, Alabama, Phyllis was the seventh of eight children born to Moses Maybelle Hammond and Ezra Zach Howard. She graduated from the University of North Alabama in Florence and moved to Nashville, Tennessee, and then again to Washington, DC. There, she worked as a secretary for the Central Intelligence Agency and met William Hoenig, whom she married on March 25, 1960. They would settle in Mahopac in 1965, where she remained for the rest of her life.
Phyllis was a beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. She stayed close to her childhood girl gang and made fast friends in her adopted home of Mahopac. Phyllis was an active member of the local chapter of the League of Women Voters and the Lake Mahopac Garden Club. She was intensely devoted to her family and was a constant presence their lives.
Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Pam Kingsley; son-in-law, Chris; grandchildren, Hannah and Liam; and granddaughter-in-law, Alison.
If you wish to make a donation in honor of Phyllis’s life, please contribute to the Lake Mahopac Garden Club, c/o Lois Chanofsky, Treasurer, 27 Russ Road, Mahopac, NY 10541.
Phyllis lived well and fully, reading widely, traveling often, and spending as much time as she could with those she cared about. In a letter written to one of her grandchildren upon their college graduation, she said, “I predict you will have a very interesting life; you may not get rich, but you’ll enjoy it. That’s what counts.” Phyllis’s life was as rich and interesting as they come, and she made the lives of all those around her better for it.
There will be a private memorial service on Saturday, November 1. Please contact the family in advance if you wish to attend.
