Phylllis Ellen Braun

Phyllis Ellen Braun passed away at Lawrence Memorial Hospital on Friday, September 11, 2026, with her two sons by her side. She was 92 years old.

Phyllis was born on January 13, 1934, the daughter of Dr. Stanley Flickinger, DDS and Marguerite Berkeley Flickinger. She grew up in Baldwin City, Kansas, with her brother, Dr. John (Jack) Flickinger, DDS.

A lifelong member of the Baldwin City community, Phyllis graduated from Baldwin City schools before attending Baker University. She graduated from Baker in 1956 with a degree in elementary education. While a student, she was a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority and was a Baker University Football Homecoming Queen. More importantly, Baker was where she met Conrad J. Braun, Jr., who would become her husband and lifelong companion.

Following their graduation in 1956, Conrad began his required two-year enlistment in the United States Army and was stationed in West Germany. During his service, Phyllis and her parents crossed the Atlantic aboard the Queen Mary, departing from New York for the trip to England before joining Conrad for travel throughout post-World War II Europe. Phyllis remained in West Germany with Conrad, where they made their home for two years with a German family and their three young children. In an interesting connection to Phyllis’s own family, all three children would eventually grow up to pursue careers in dentistry.

Phyllis later devoted many years to Baker University and the cultural life of Baldwin City. During the 1970s and 1980s, she worked as business manager for the Baker pLaymen, a student Christian performance group, and later with the official Maple Leaf Festival production of The Ballad of Black Jack.

She subsequently began what would become a 30-year career as a librarian at the Baldwin City Library. Through decades of service, the library became an important part of Phyllis’s life and her connection to the community. She retired at 85 years old during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Phyllis and Conrad shared 63 years of marriage. Together they built their lives in Baldwin City and were members of the United Methodist Church.

Phyllis is survived by her two sons, Stanley D. Braun and Martin C. Braun and his wife, Terry, of Baldwin City, Kansas; and three grandchildren, Matthew, Katherine, and Andrew.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial contributions to the Dr. Stanley and Marguerite Flickinger Scholarship Fund at Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas.

In recognition of Phyllis’s many years at the Baldwin City Library and the friendships she formed throughout the community, her family will receive friends at the Baldwin City Library on Thursday, October 1, 2026, from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. in the Activity Room.