Wendee Phillips Deal

Our wonderful Wendee died Saturday, December 16, 2023, at home after a long assault from Parkinson’s disease. She was surrounded by the person and things she loved most. Wendee was – by her own definition - irreverent, outrageous, and frequently inappropriate. She was outspoken and devoted to issues of importance to her. Her humor was quick, dry, and devastatingly funny. Among her many passions were cats, dogs, flowers, books, music, and mountaintops. She spent hours in the gardens around their house, keeping the flower beds tidy and inserting colorful decorative items to accentuate their beauty and welcome visitors. Wendee was compelled to make things, even when her health was at its worst. She made beautiful works of art for her friends, family, and fundraisers. Her exquisitely crafted cards, altered books, jewelry, wall hangings, tiled pots, and sculptures are treasured objects in homes and gardens around eastern Iowa and beyond.

Over the years, she served on the boards of the Indian Creek Nature Center, Iowa Abortion Access Fund, United Way, and Iowa Humane Alliance, and worked as a volunteer with all those organizations, as well as Foundation II and others. One of her proudest achievements was running the warehouse for Flood Them with Love, a warehouse filled with furniture and household goods given to victims of the 2008 Cedar Rapids flood. Wendee was an ardent defender of women’s and civil rights, writing guest articles for newspapers, lobbying representatives, and protesting in the streets for as long as she was physically able. She carried a deep affection for animals, and if possible, would have given every animal a loving home.

During her paid working life, she spent ten years with Linn County Juvenile Probation, where she tried to steer young people onto a better path. After leaving that position, she joined her husband to become a partner in his established construction and remodeling business, Les Deal, Inc.

Born to Bette Mayfield and John Phillips on Oct 8, 1949, Wendee grew up in Cedar Rapids and graduated from Washington High School in 1967. She attended Kirkwood Community College and graduated from Mt. Mercy College in 1977. She married Les in 1987.

She is survived by her devoted and loving husband Les; stepchildren, Kevin (Jill) Deal, Tammi Horror-Deal (Don Buxbaum), and Cyndee (Jason) Cummins; grandchildren, John Deal, and Amber Cummins; sister, Tricia Caron; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and sister, Carolyn Chapman.

Before her death, she made clear how profoundly grateful she was for her caregivers, Deb Moore, Ann Sanford, and of course, Les for their loving and expert care over these past months and years.
A Funeral Service will be held at 11 a.m. December 28, 2023, at Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids with the visitation to begin at 10 a.m. Burial will follow at Campbell Cemetery in Bertram, Iowa.

Memorials may be directed to Iowa Humane Alliance, 6540 6th St. SW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52404.

We will miss her boundless generosity and the loving spirit that made her unique. There will never be another Wendee Phillips Deal, and the world is much poorer and far less exciting because of it.