Phyllis Ann Ross Felts

Phyllis Felts was a servant leader in her church throughout her life; a successful business owner; a mentor to many; and most of all, a dedicated wife and wonderful mother and grandmother to children and pets alike. Phyllis went to be with the Lord on May 20 due to complications of Parkinson's Disease.

Born May 28, 1947, in Surry County to the late Warren and Winnie Ross, Phyllis was raised in the Pleasant Ridge community in State Road, NC and had many happy memories of family life with her parents and sister, Brenda, as well as church, school, cousins, and friends.

After graduating from East Wilkes High School in 1965, Phyllis married her devoted husband, David Felts. They lived in Iowa, Ohio, and Tennessee before moving back to North Carolina. They built their home and raised their children in Davie County. Phyllis and David lived in Davie County for four decades before moving to Winston-Salem, blessed with wonderful neighbors in both homes.

Phyllis was a loving mother to her children, Jonathan and Jennifer, and found true happiness in being a homemaker. She made many of her children's clothes, decorated their home beautifully on a small budget buttressed by a large reserve of creative talent, and was a wonderful cook. She and David hosted the extended family Thanksgiving for over 40 years when she made many side dishes to make sure everyone had their favorite. Phyllis also helped forge a love of animals in her children, often reading to them selections from author James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small books and managing the menagerie of pets that found their way to the Felts home.

The family joined Calvary Baptist Church in 1982 where Phyllis served in many roles as she had at their previous church. She taught Sunday School for youth and women, organized women’s ministry events, served as a greeter, and helped with Vacation Bible School, among other roles. Her sewing skills even lead her to an international trip where she and a team of women helped local women who had escaped abusive marriages to improve their sewing and business skills. While the trip was dangerous, Phyllis noted it was a highlight of her life. She was also involved with the monthly daytime meetings of Christian Women’s Club, holding various leadership positions. She was part of the same prayer and Bible study group for over 40 years. When she wasn’t serving in her church, tending her home, or uncomplainingly driving carpool (often with Cricket the family dachshund curled around her neck) for her children’s many activities, she volunteered in her community.

Gifted with numerous creative talents, Phyllis was also an entrepreneur. Early in their marriage, she started a hobby business making and selling crafts at local fairs. She later became a business owner in her own right, starting and running The Golden Needle, a custom window treatment and home furnishings business, for 35 years. She was the seamstress of choice for several interior decorators as well as repeat customers in multiple states. Phyllis’s excellent sewing skills were only part of the reason for her business success—her customers relied on her counsel and genuinely enjoyed her company, with many becoming close friends. She also mentored other women entrepreneurs and seamstresses, helping several of them to launch their own businesses.

Phyllis was the perfect helpmate to her husband, David, for over 60 years. Even in her work, they were perfectly suited. Phyllis guided her customers in fabric selection, designed and sewed the window treatments, and David built the wood structures for window treatments and headboards. They worked together to install them.

Above all, Phyllis had all the merits of The Wife of Noble Character, as described in Proverbs 31:10-31. “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also.” She worked joyfully to create and maintain a comfortable, content, and happy home. She shared generously of her time and money, even when both were in short supply. Many people sought her out for her wise, Bible-based counsel. She did all this faithfully, while running her own business and managing the household while her husband often had extensive travel for work. She is also remembered for seldom, if ever, complaining, even in health challenges, and for starting each day spending time in prayer and study of the Bible.

Missing her, but thankful for the comfort of knowing she is in her heavenly home are her husband, David Felts; a son and his family, Jonathan and Courtney Felts and their sons, Maxwell and Truman, of Raleigh; a daughter and her family, Sam and Jennifer Lam, and their children, Cora and Owen, of Washington, DC; her devoted sister Brenda Wall and husband, Donald, of Elkin; and special nieces and nephews. The family would like to extend special appreciation to their neighbors, their Sunday School class, Adoration Home Healthcare, Phyllis’s caregiver, Alfreida, and the nurses of the ICU of Novant Health Forsyth Medical Center, who were both professional and compassionate.

A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at Hayworth-Miller Lewisville Chapel with Pastor Truett Williams officiating. A graveside service will follow at 4:00 PM at Pleasant Ridge Baptist Church in State Road, NC. The family will receive friends from 1:00-1:50 PM prior to the service at the funeral home. As one who loved flowers and their natural beauty, flowers are a welcome and meaningful tribute to Phyllis. If you are able to attend the service, feel free to wear the bright colors and cheerful patterns that Phyllis also loved. Donations in her memory may be made to Calvary Baptist Church of Winston-Salem (https://calvarynow.com).