Tanyss Bell Phillips was born on January 1, 1926 in San Francisco, California and grew up on a farm near Chelan, Saskatchewan. She obtained several degrees including a BA (1946) and BA (HHon, 1947) at the University of Saskatchewan, MA (1948) at the University of Toronto, and an M.Litt (1951) from Girton College at the University of Cambridge. She was one of the earliest female economists in Canada and worked with the research department at the Bank of Canada in Ottawa (1947-1948), with the Saskatchewan Royal Commission of Agriculture and Rural Life (1952-1954), and was an instructor at the University of Regina from 1960-1973. She married R.H.D. Phillips in 1951. She also served many years as an elected alumni representative for Regina on the University of Saskatchewan Senate (1966-72). Later in life, Tanyss was a books editor in Saskatoon. She was also a board member of the Saskatoon Salvation Army. She was awarded the Governor General's Caring Canadian Award in 2004. Tanyss Phillips died June 10, 2016 in Saskatoon.