Affectionately known as “Gran” to Norfolkians

By David Byrne

From markswoman to mother, and much in between, Phyllis Byrne was a great volunteer in the town of Norfolk.

Born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1914, Phyllis Curtiss Torrance, the last surviving of 11 children of Scottish missionary David Watt Torrance, died on September 14. Her mother, Elizabeth Welch Curtiss, was a descendant of the Curtiss settlers who have resided in Norfolk since 1762. As a child Mrs. Byrne lived in Tiberias, Palestine with her father who had built a hospital there for the Church of Scotland. After his death in 1924 she came to live in Norfolk with her mother. In 1934 she graduated from the Pennsylvania School of Horticulture for Women (now part of Temple University) and then returned to Tiberias where she met and married Owen J. Byrne. While there Mrs. Byrne became a rifle markswoman and was a member of the Palestine Police Rifle Team competing against other branches of the military. She remained in the Middle East with her husband and their children throughout World War II, after which the family moved to Norfolk. On her last visit to the Holy Land in 1996, Byrne was recognized by the Governor of Galilee and a tree was planted in her name at the Scottish Centre on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. Mrs. Byrne was an avid horticulturalist and designed many gardens both in Norfolk and the Middle East. She loved to swim at Tobey Pond well past the age of 80. She was very active in the town of Norfolk where she served as Treasurer for several years in the 1960’s. She was also elected to the Board of Education for multiple terms and wore many hats at the United Church of Christ, which she joined in 1928. In addition to her own eight children, Mrs. Byrne took into her home several foster children from the Oak Hill School for the Blind in Hartford. Mrs. Byrne is survived by her children: Thomas Byrne and his wife Julie; daughter-in-law Ann Shrope Byrne; Maureen Larsen and her husband Paul; Richard Byrne and his wife Madeleine of Norfolk; Deirdre Escheman and her husband Douglas; David Byrne and his wife Marianne; John Byrne and his wife Kathy and Kathryn Byrne of Norfolk. She is also survived by 19 grandchildren, 32 great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday October 3, at the United Church of Christ in Norfolk where memorial contributions may also be made. A full profile of Phyllis Byrne written by Bob Bumcrot can be found in the October, 2004 issue of Norfolk Now.