Phyllis E. Steele

Quincy

OCT. 21, 1943 – JUNE 28, 2026

Phyllis E. Steele, age 82, of Quincy, IL, formerly of Belmont, MA, died Sunday, June 28, 2026, at 10:38 am in Blessing Hospital in Quincy, IL.

Phyllis was born October 21, 1943, at Cabarrus County Hospital in Concord, North Carolina, the daughter of Clyde and Margaret Steele. She married Wendell E. Rhine on August 14, 1977, in Greensboro, North Carolina. He survives.

Phyllis graduated from Wake Forest University in 1963. She went on to attain her Master’s Degree in 1969 and her Ph.D. in history in 1994 from the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. Her master’s thesis was about Henry and Brooks Adams and her Ph.D. thesis was titled Hungry Hearts, Idle Wives, and New Women: The American Novel Re-Examines Nineteenth Century Ideology, 1890-1917: it was about the role of women as depicted in turn of the century novels.

Phyllis worked for the state of Ohio as an archivist of local government documents from 1978 to 1985. Her office was located at the Wright State University Library in Dayton, Ohio. Wendell and Phyllis moved to Massachusetts in 1985, and after arriving in Massachusetts, she worked for the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company in Boston, MA, and was their corporate archivist from 1989 until her retirement in 2006. As the archivist she preserved company records that dated back to the nineteenth century and became skilled in document preservation.

Phyllis is a member of University Lutheran Church in Cambridge, MA, where she volunteered as the church archivist. She served as Communications Chair of the capital campaign that helped fund the 1999-2001 renovation of the church building and homeless shelter space, writing and editing a popular newsletter to keep the congregation informed of progress. She also sang with the choir and acted as the choir librarian for many years.

Phyllis and Wendell relocated to Quincy in 2023 to be closer to family. She attended Christ Lutheran Church in Quincy. She was an avid reader and was happy that Quincy had an excellent public library that she used often.

Phyllis is survived by: her husband of almost 50 years, Wendell Rhine; two brothers, John (Sue) Steele of Austin TX, and Gary (Christina) Steele of Cary, NC; a sister, Judy Steele of Alexandria, VA; sisters-in-law, Marcia Johnson of Quincy, IL, Rita (Larry) Frese of Mendon, IL, and LaRue (Jim) Unglaube of Wayzata, MN; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Phyllis was preceded in death by: her parents, Clyde and Margaret Steele, a brother David Steele, and a sister Kay Campbell.

Services: A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to University Lutheran Church, Cambridge, MA, or Christ Lutheran Church, Quincy, IL. Memorial Donations may be made online at <https://memorials.hansenspear.com>.

www.hansenspear.com

Hansen-Spear Funeral Directors are in charge of the arrangements.