Obituary: Phyllis Raiford Scruggs

– November 1, 2025

Phyllis Raiford Scruggs transitioned to a place more beautiful than can be imagined on November 1st 2025. At her bedside was her soulmate, lover, best friend and husband David. During their 55 years of marriage, they had amassed a lifetime of wonderful memories captured in their hearts.

Phyllis, a resident of Aspen Colorado for the last 20 years, was born on December 29th,1947 in Memphis Tennessee, as the only child to her beloved parents Geneva Belle Davis and Phillip Kelly Raiford.

Phyllis graduated from Memphis Overton High School, attended Ole Miss and graduated from the University of Memphis with a BBA, MBA in Finance and Master’s Degree in Education. Throughout her college and postgraduate education, she made all A’s except a single B…in bowling!

Unusual for the times, her parents had instilled in her a belief that there was nothing she could not accomplish. Her favorite childhood book was the “The Little Engine that Could”. With that background an outstanding business career and life was launched. Phyllis broke the financial glass ceiling as an investment banker and then transitioned to a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Financial Analyst, which recognized her expertise in financial strategy, portfolio and wealth management. She became a trusted financial counselor to her clients. Phyllis was the architect of the structure of her firm, making people and service their focus and integrating financial planning with investment management. Phyllis served as Chairman, President and Director of the Mid-South Society of Financial Planning Association.

In her personal life she developed a special bond with friends, being loyal, supportive, respectful and empathetic, enriching all that knew her.

Phyllis also served the greater community in which she lived with her talents, time and treasure. In Memphis she served as Treasurer, Director and Trustee of the Women’s Foundation. Thirty- one years ago, Phyllis, with her family established a Shoes and Shelter Fund through the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) providing basic necessitates of life to over ten thousand people in need. In Aspen she served on the Finance, Development and Endowment committees of the Aspen Chapel, utilizing her expertise in finance and investment. She loved culture and the arts and served as the Chair of the Seaside Institute of Florida.

Her religious and spiritual side was nurtured at Bellevue Baptist Church and Lindenwood Christian Church in Memphis and the Aspen Chapel in the Roaring Fork Valley of Colorado.

She loved the outdoors activities of biking, hiking, downhill and skate skiing and tennis. Her quiet time contemplation was reading, seashore strolls, and sun rises (seeing 55 consecutive in Seaside Florida). Phyllis and David shared thousands of sunsets together.Her grit, determination, persistence and competitive nature resulted in in a dozen first place finishes for her forty- age group in 5K and 10K running competitions.

Phyllis and David shared a love of travel and wine, Phyllis having the better palate.

Phyllis loved and was close to her extended family which included Pick and Jody Scruggs, her nephew Gavin and his family Meredith, Sierra, and Zander and her nephew Granger and his family Brooke, Leyton, Blakely and Kessler.

Family and friends offered these descriptions of Phyllis: special, talented, loving, kind, caring, devoted, unique, strong, witty, creative, smart, sweet, curious, joyful, focused, confident, feisty, athletic, competitive, physically small but fearless, adventurous, passionate, and persistent.

Phyllis’s “Can Do” attitude was demonstrated by the question she would often ask, “Are we going to talk about it or are we going to do it?”

Her laughter, smile and spirit will live on in all that knew Phyllis.

A Celebration of Phyllis’s Life will be held at 11am Wednesday, November 19th 2025 at the Aspen Chapel. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Aspen Chapel (aspenchapel.org), Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (mifa.org) or the charity of your choice.