In Memoriam: Phyllis Laidlaw Herring

Phyllis Laidlaw Herring, a woman of boundless creativity, died peacefully on September 6 at the age of 91. Her three daughters were at her side. Her husband and inventive soulmate of 63 years, James W. Herring, preceded her in death.

Phyllis graduated from Summit School in St Paul, Minnesota, and from Middlebury College. In her mid-forties, she earned her master’s degree in Landscape Design from Temple University. A Landscape Designer by profession, Phyllis was also a highly trained pianist, as well as an accomplished painter. Her thriving landscape design business, built by word of mouth, was centered largely in and around Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania and Charlotte, North Carolina. The projects that gave her the most satisfaction were the ones in which she collaborated with her clients, melding their ideas and vision in with her own.

Mornings one would find Phyllis at her kitchen table well before dawn, surrounded by art and horticultural books, sketching ideas for garden designs and paintings. Beginning at the age of four, and continuing into her 90’s, she practiced the piano for hours every day. Always an avid learner, she sought out great teachers throughout her life, including the painter Hobson Pittman in Philadelphia, and the pianist Paul Skelton in Somerset, England. One of her most cherished experiences was the time she spent in her fifties apprenticing for the landscape architect Pietro Porcinai, in Fiesole, Italy.

Phyllis’s passion was to encourage others to pursue their own creativity, whether it be for music, art, or gardening. She worried that people often missed out on the joys of art simply because they were constricted by their notion of whether or not they had ‘talent.’ She formed a number of performance groups, and especially loved playing on her two pianos with four-person groups. In her later years, she played the piano for her church’s satellite services at assisted living homes.

She leaves behind a number of successful ongoing initiatives. These include the Horticultural Symposium in Davidson, North Carolina, now in its 38th year, and the Greater Summerville Music Forum, which has now become an orchestra and a choral group, both their 20th years. Remaining active and healthy into her 90’s, she continued to garden, play the piano, paint, and walk her beloved Bedlington Terrier around her neighborhood—often to the consternation of her caregivers and her family!

Phyllis, “Phyddy” to the family, is survived by her three daughters and husbands, Pamela Mahony (Bill), Amy Herring (Chris) and Holly Herring (Michaël), and her six grandchildren and their partners. The family wishes to thank Monique Dawson and Alice Richardson for the loving care they gave to the entire family. Thanks also to SC House Calls, Amedysis Pallative Care, the team at Helena Square, and Agape Care Group, South Carolina.

A memorial is planned for a future date. Donations can be made in her memory to:
Davidson Horticultural Symposium Scholarships: Post Office Box 1145 Davidson North Carolina 28036
The Summerville Orchestra, Summerville, SC: summervilleorchestra.org