Dancer/Musician/Writer Phyllis Sues Has Passed Away
Phyllis is survived by her nieces Laurie Pincus, Susan Streater Larosa, her great niece Kate Pincus-Whitney, and her beloved Standard French Poodle, Nicko.
By: Chloe Rabinowitz Dec. 09, 2021
Phyllis Gehrig was born in Nassau County, New York on April 4th, 1923. She grew up with her parents, her mother a concert pianist and her father a judge, and older sister Mary Elizabeth, in Hempstead, Long Island. Her first love was music, but at age 14, she had her first ballet lesson and from that day on, she knew that dance would be her life. She learned the word dedication when she took her first ballet class with the great George Balanachine. In 1941, Phyllis performed as a Spanish dancer in a USO tour for the Air Corps and soon after she was performing on Broadway, "Bloomer Girl", "Oklahoma", "Kismet", "Brigadoon" and "High Button Shoes." Those years on Broadway were the golden years as well as Phyllis' golden years. Phyllis danced with The Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo in Rio de Janeiro. She was a favorite dancer of Agnes De Mille and also worked with Jerry Robbins, Michael Kidd and Jack Cole, just to name a few. In 1948, Phyllis met performer and dancer, Donald Weissmuller. They were a successful dance duo touring the world, performing in theater, night clubs and TV.
In 1953, Phyllis married comic actor, Alan Sues and they performed together in comedy sketches in New York and Los Angeles. Phyllis continued to dance on TV until 1968. Her acting credits include "My Three Sons", "The Real McCoys" and "The Jack Benny Program." After moving to Los Angeles, with former husband, Alan Sues, she met and married theater and television Producer Norman Pincus who encouraged Phyllis to start designing her own line of women's high fashion sportswear. Her company ran for 22 years, under her own label.
In 1993, Phyllis's mother died and she inherited her Steinway grand piano. The piano inspired Phyllis to return to her music. Her genres were Jazz and Tango and she composed and debuted two CDs, "Tango Insomnia" and "Scenes of Passion." At 80, she was inspired to learn to dance the Tango. She took flight on a trapeze at 83 and walked into her first Yoga class at 85. That class sent her on a journey that changed her life. At 90, Phyllis skydived and became an Official Blogger for Huffington Post.
Phyllis was never one to retire and she always had a dream of writing her own book and she did at 96. Phyllis published, "My Trip to a Healthy, Active 96: 22 Tips to Change Your Life." In the book, she shares her physical fitness routines and the internal thought processes that kept her focused and vibrant; to show that it is possible to live an interesting life in one's senior years.
Phyllis was a tour de force, a vibrant star, who loved life to the fullest. She lived for music, design and dance. She lived for the challenge. She had the desire. And, along the way she inspired.
"This trip has been good to me and I wouldn't trade it for all the stars in the universe. Stay fit and enjoy the journey. Accept the challenge and go for it! That's what I did!" - Phyllis Sues
Phyllis is survived by her nieces Laurie Pincus, Susan Streater Larosa, her great niece Kate Pincus-Whitney, and her beloved Standard French Poodle, Nicko.
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