Phyllis Youngren, 80, of Montevideo, Minnesota, passed away at 8:35 p.m. on Monday, June 5, 2017 at Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana.

Services will be held at a later date. Phyllis was born on March 24, 1937 in Montevideo, Minnesota, to parents Paul G. and Minna (Schultz) Kief. They preceded her in death.

On August 24, 1963, she married Lowell Youngren of Galesburg, Illinois; he passed away in October of 1996. Her brother, Paul A. (Paky) Kief also preceded her in death in 2016. Phyllis is survived by her daughter, Juliet Youngren of Urbana.

Phyllis was the valedictorian of the Montevideo High School class of 1954. She went on to earn bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from the University of Minnesota. She taught biology for Ely College in Minnesota, Culver-Stockton College in Missouri, and Bethany College in West Virginia. She always said that teaching biology was her passion, although she later also worked as a legal secretary and notary public in Illinois before returning to Montevideo to care for her mother.

She was a member of First Congregational Church in Montevideo. She was also an active volunteer with the Chippewa County Historical Society and was inducted into their hall of fame in 2016.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Chippewa County Historical Society or to the World Wildlife Fund. Condolences may be offered at renner- wikoffchapel.com