In addition to the in-person service at the Chapel, the funeral will also be live-streamed. To view the service virtually, please go to https://smclive.ca/ on Sunday May 31, 2026 at 11:00 a.m.

Phyllis Marian Benjamin was born on June 8th, 1944, in Toronto, Ontario.  The first child of second-generation Jewish immigrants, she grew up with a strong appreciation for family, a love of music, and a boisterous infectious laugh.

Phyllis graduated from the Nightingale School of Nursing in 1965 with a focus on public health and began her career teaching prenatal education to expectant mothers. She was also responsible for postpartum visits to assist new mothers. It was during such a visit that a new father introduced Phyllis to his best friend, Victor, and they swiftly married. Phyllis and Victor had four children, all within four years (including a set of twins). Phyllis was a very practical mom and often recounted how she would put four very young children in a bathtub, feed and scrub them, and then wash the crumbs down the drain. This practicality, along with her profound curiosity, strong-mindedness, and belief in working to create a fairer and more just world was inherited from her mother, Beth Silburt. These proclivities were put to good use throughout her life, as the moment her children were out of infancy, she returned to school receiving both a BA in Psychology and a Masters degree in (Adult) Education from the University of Toronto, and finished her career writing curriculum for the Industrial Accident Prevention Association.

Athletic all her life, Phyllis was a devoted practitioner of Taichi, which allowed her to keep her mind sharp and her body strong. The daughter of respected landscape artist Josh Silburt, Phyllis demonstrated her own creative and artistic talent. Learning to knit from her grandmother at the age of 10, she expressed herself using fibre and textiles: knitting, embroidering, and sewing clothes were a constant. Phyllis spent her later years dedicated to making beautiful and evocative large-scale quilts and pieced artwork patches depicting nature scenes, animals, and beloved characters.

Phyllis is survived by her husband Victor, her daughters, Sarah (Phillip,) Amanda (Jamie,) and Jennifer (Dave,) by her son Adam (Johanna,) her grandchildren Ben, Hannah, and Dorian, granddog Hugo, and her brothers Allan and Bruce Silburt. She is predeceased by her brother Stephen “Skip” Silburt (Shirley) and her parents, Beth and Josh Silburt.

Donations my be made to Mazon Canada, The Jewish Response to Hunger, https://www.mazoncanada.ca/.