Phyllis Trieber
With profound sadness we announce the passing of our beautiful, loving, and devoted mother, Phyllis Trieber, on August 24, 2020. Through the lens of her deep faith and with a generous and affectionate heart, she was a friend to all whose lives she touched.
Phyllis Marie Modrich, born December 17th, 1931 was the only child and much adored daughter of Philip and Marie Modrich, owners for many years of the historic Mayes Oyster House, the second oldest continuously operating restaurant in San Francisco. She attended Lincoln High School, where she met the love of her life, future husband Robert (Bob) Trieber, who preceded her in death in 2008 after 58 years of marriage.
In addition to numerous community volunteer and fundraising activities for the Red Cross, Women’s Guild of Marin, PTA, and more, Phyllis was a devout practicing Catholic, attending Mass almost daily until constrained by her ailing health. For more than 50 years Phyllis was an active member of the St. Hilary Church community, teaching catechism in the 1960’s and 70’s, and later as a Eucharistic minister and choir member for more than 25 years. She was appointed chairperson to the International Affairs Commission for the National Council of Catholic Women and was a Third Order Carmelite Nun, generously donating her time and resources to the Carmelite monastery in San Rafael.
Mrs. Trieber, as she was fondly known by many generations of neighborhood children, was also an active citizen in her beloved communities of Belvedere/Tiburon, hosting many social and fundraising events over the years and earning a Silver Citizen award for her many contributions. She was an active member of the Belvedere-Tiburon Library, the Corinthian Yacht Club, and a certified docent for the Angel Island Conservancy. Alongside her husband, she for decades assisted him in the apparel industry, first on the manufacturing side for their company Mister Robert, and then on the retail side for their clothing boutiques in San Francisco, Larkspur, and along Main Street in Tiburon.
In between volunteering, raising her family, and helping her husband with his business, she made time to go back to school, earning dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in psychology and English from Dominican University at age 53. She so enjoyed her other passions, whether it be her Great Books group, scripture group, writing short stories and poems, or painting, where her faith was always her inspiration.
Phyllis achieved all of this quietly and without need for recognition. She gave tirelessly of herself to her family, her community, her friends, her children’s friends, and anyone she met. She embodied and exemplified the Christian values that she practiced by living a life of devotion to others with grace, kindness, and extraordinary style. She was one of a kind in every way and will be sorely missed by all who crossed her path. May God rest her soul.
She leaves her three beloved children and their spouses, Linda Trieber Lowe of Novato (Thom), Richard Trieber of Novato (Cinder), and Lisa Trieber Fonarow of San Rafael (Bruce); her adored six grandchildren, Molly Lowe Lara (Andres), Annie Lowe, Robert C. Trieber II, Richard R. “R.J.” Trieber, and Kira and Amy Fonarow. She also leaves many extended family members, including the Volpe family and her cherished Levinson cousins Diane and Jon, and their three children, Randy (Jackie), Rob (Carmen), and Dani-Sue (Richard) and their loving families.
A funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2020, at St. Hilary Church in Tiburon. The service will be outdoors, with socially distant seating under protective canopies. Masks are required and facilities available for emergency use only. Please arrive early to account for the check-in protocol and please enter St. Hilary via the second entrance (the first right after Hilary Drive).
Phyllis will be laid to rest beside her husband at Mt. Olivet Catholic Cemetery in San Rafael at a privately held family ceremony the following week. Memorial gifts in Phyllis’ memory can be made to St. Hilary Church, 761 Hilary Drive, Tiburon, CA 94920.