Obituary: Phyllis Lindner September 2, 1927 March 16, 2020

Phyllis Marie (Garrison) Lindner, a longtime resident of Clarkdale, lost her short battle with cancer on March 16, 2020.

She was born in the new Jerome hospital of the United Verde Copper Company on September 2, 1927. She grew up in the 1890 brick home of her grandfather, Charles D. Willard, who was called the “Father of Cottonwood.”

Her parents, W. Ersel and Jennie Birdena (Willard) Garrison, celebrated their daughter’s first birthday by taking Phyllis on her first airplane ride. She loved flying and obtained her pilot’s license at the age of eighteen.

The homes of Mr. Willards’ four married daughters were next to his along Main and Mingus (Cactus) with the Garrison family homes. The cousins grew up together. Phyllis remembers summer weeks spent with her brother and cousins at the Palatki homestead of her grandfather Willard. She remembers the grape and berry vines, the dry farmed fruit trees.

Phyllis attended Clemenceau School and graduated from Clarkdale High School with the class of 1945. She then entered the aviation program at Stephens College, which included ground and aeronautical training at the municipal airport at Columbia, Missouri.

Phyllis graduated from the University of Arizona, at Tucson. She also completed the air hostess training program at McConnell’s Airline School, at Minneapolis, Minnesota.

“Bud” Milton O. Lindner, Jr. and Phyllis were married at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, in Clarkdale, on February 15, 1949. They went to Flint, Michigan, where “Bud” completed a course at the General Motors Institute. The couple then resided permanently in Clarkdale.

“Bud” was vice-president and manager of Lindner Motors at Clarkdale, Cottonwood and Jerome. He became the first mayor of the Town of Clarkdale during July of 1957. “Bud” resigned from Lindner Motors and the Town during March of 1960, when he was appointed general manager of Clarkdale Realty, Inc., a subsidiary of Webb and Knapp, the owner of the Clarkdale Smelter and the Clarkdale town site built by W.A. Clark and later sold to the Phelps Dodge Corporation.

The Lindners enjoyed many hours on the Peck’s Lake golf course and often attended events at the Clubhouse, especially the dancing. Phyllis was very supportive of Bud’s successful efforts to give Clarkdale Company (Gulf States) land to the Yavapai Apache Tribe and to sell for 1 dollar the Clarkdale Clubhouse Complex and all the surrounding buildings (built by W.A. Clark to the Town of Clarkdale.

Her mother helped establish the Cottonwood Library and Phyllis was an avid reader. She liked biographies and had a special interest in history as a Life Member of the Willard Organization and politics.

She read the Verde Independent and watched the TV news to keep up with current events. She collected books about Arizona, Verde Valley, and family history.

Phyllis mourned the loss of her older brother, Willard Ersel “Pete” Garrison during a measles epidemic (1939), her grandparents, C. D. Willard (1957), William R. and Lola (Atherton) Garrison (1937, 1957), her husband (1973), and her parents (1983, 1988).

She will be missed and mourned by her many friends and her surviving family: Cousin Glenda Farley, sons, David Ersel Lindner, of Clarkdale; Curtis Milton (Sherry) Lindner, of Jerome; her grandchildren: Jonah (Susan) Lindner and their children, Austin and Olivia, of Utah, and Lauren Lauzon, of Phoenix; Joshua (Windy) Lindner and their daughter Corina, of Clarkdale; Leah J. Lindner of Sedona; her brother, Charles D. (Zondra) Garrison, and their children; Randall “Randy” W. (Deborah) Garrison and their daughter, Shelby, of Cottonwood; and Audra M. (Kent) Backus, and their children, Logan and Rylie, of Cottonwood; her sister-in-law, Edith Lindner and her children, Michael Lindner, of Clarkdale, Cheri Lindner (Keith) Self, of Cornville, Tayler (Dustin) Self and Kylie Self. Douglas and Chris Klein of Pasco, Washington. Caregiver Nadine Kosisky.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her name to the Clarkdale Historic Society and Museum.

Information provided by survivors.


Donate Report a Typo Contact
Most Read
Event Calendar
Event Calendar link
Submit Event