Phyllis Harber

Phyllis A. Harber was born March 12, 1931, in Fairmont, MN, to Burne and Gertrude (Temple) Harber. Phyllis was raised in Fairmont where her parents owned and operated a service station. It was a family run business where Gertrude was the bookkeeper but would also check the oil; son, Dennis, made sure the tires were properly inflated, and Phyllis was in charge of cleaning windshields. It was a true 1930's full-service station whether you bought gasoline or not.

The family moved to Minneapolis, MN, in 1939. Phyllis earned a bachelor's degree in Natural Sciences from University of Omaha (Nebraska), in 1956, and then taught in the Omaha public school system until 1962. She then earned her master's degree in Zoology from University of Wyoming in 1964. She taught Zoology at Iowa State University from 1966 to 1968.

Phyllis earned her Ph. D. at Iowa State University in 1969, and taught there from 1971 to 1972. She moved to Moorhead, MN, in 1972, where she served as associate professor, Department of Biology, at Moorhead State University (now MSUM.) Following her retirement, Phyllis continued to make her home in Moorhead.

Phyllis entered Elim Rehab and Care Center, Fargo, ND, in January of 2014, where she died Monday, August 1, 2016, at eighty-five years of age.

In addition to her parents, Phyllis was preceded in death by her brother, Dennis, in 1975. She is survived by a number of cousins, and many friends and associates in the teaching profession.

Visitation for Phyllis will begin at 9:30 AM, followed by a Service of Remembrance at 10:30 AM, Monday, August 8, 2016, in the chapel of Elim Rehab and Care Center, Fargo. Burial will take place at a later date in the family lot at Lakeside Cemetery, Fairmont