February 22, 1943 – February 15, 2026
Lynda passed peacefully February 15th at Sutter Medical Center downtown near her apartment in Sacramento where she lived with her daughter Ronni. Her son Rick was with her, having just finished a game of Five Crowns – that she, of course, won.
Born in Phoenix during a world war, Lynda was brought up in the friendly and peaceful small town of Yuma, Arizona by loving parents Ralph and Evelyn Phillips and big sister Donna. The family relocated to Jerome, Idaho when Lynda and Donna were in high school, where they both started their families. Lynda moved to Seattle in the mid-60s, kicking off the first of her illustrious careers, as a computer programmer at a little start-up eventually called IBM.
Lynda had two loves in her life besides her family: fulfilling work and travel. Much of the time these two were combined – oil spill work in Prince William sound and Siberia, Russia; consulting on the isle of Cyprus; Water projects in Florida and Lake Tahoe; and pipeline work on the north slope of Alaska – to name a few. In addition she made her mark as an environmentalist and safety expert in Watford City, North Dakota and Twin Falls, Idaho. She was a life-long learner who got her bachelors from Sierra Nevada College in 2012 and her masters from Vermont Law School in 2014.
Her travels included extensive trips by rail and trail in Europe. Lynda walked and hiked for 10 days across the south of the Czech Republic with her daughter Terri and her best friend Jacqui. She even completed the full Camino de Santiago Trail in France and Spain in 2014, at the age of 71 with her grandson Lucas.
Her living family celebrates her wonderful life! Lynda is survived by her sister Donna and Dan Suhr; Three children – son Rick and Cece Hyce Of Wasilla, Alaska; daughter Terri and John Lewis of Portland, Oregon; and daughter, Ronni Hyce of Sacramento, California. Nine grandchildren: Ryan, Jessica, Cody, Riley, Joey, Zach, Reno, Lucas, and Lily. Lynda’s pride and joy were her 6 great grandkids, and her last days were spent joyfully showing nurses at the hospital pictures of them! The family warmly thanks the nursing staff of SMC for their superb attention and care.
The family will have a private celebration.