Cyril Colbert

Beloved husband, father, brother, uncle, and friend Cyril Dean Colbert died peacefully at Hospice of the Valley in Glendale on Monday, March 19th at age 77. Cyril is survived by his wife of 45 years, Patricia Colbert, and his daughter and son-in-law Laura Colbert and Lance Waring of Colorado, his son and daughter-in-law Jeff and Amy Colbert of New Hampshire, his grandchildren Lyla, Landon, and Willa, his sisters Claudette, Betty, and Sharon and his brothers Gary and Greg, as well as numerous nieces and nephews and many other family members who loved him dearly. Cyril was born on June 26, 1940 in southern Illinois. After graduating from Roxanna High School and after few years of working, Cyril joined the Air Force, where he served for four years. Following his service, he began working at National Cash Register (NCR) in Dayton, Ohio where he met his future wife, Pat, after he ran out of gas leaving NCR for the day and blocked the parking lot exit. He took an offer of a ride to the gas station from a "very cute lady" and finally asked her out to dinner several weeks later after he had saved up some money. Cyril and Pat married in 1972. Cyril's work with Centronics Data Computer Corporation brought them to southern California and then to New Hampshire for almost 30 years, where they raised Laura and Jeff. Pat and Cyril semi-retired to Peoria, Arizona in 2006. Anyone who had the luck of getting to know Cyril quickly learned he was patient, generous, and gentle. He had a great sense of humor and the ability to fix just about anything. He was an active parishioner at St Thomas More Catholic Church and volunteered a lot of his time to various committees in his community in Peoria, as well, as the soup kitchen at Andre House. Any classic car that went by on the road or appeared on a movie or TV screen would immediately be identified and enjoyed by Cyril. A prayer service at St. Thomas More in Glendale is scheduled for Friday, March 23rd at 10:00. A burial service will be held at National Memorial Cemetery of Phoenix on a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent in Cyril's memory to Andre House at PO Box 2014, Phoenix, AZ 85001 or Justa Center at 1001 W. Jefferson St., Phoenix, AZ 85007.