Phyllis Covert Frias

“Rags to Riches” magnate became Las Vegas philanthropist

Phyllis Covert Frias and her husband Charlie made a fortune from their Las Vegas cab companies, and she gave generously to the city’s charities.

Phyllis Marlene Covert was born on November 3, 1935, on a farm in Adams County, Ohio to Ray Samuel Covert and Alma Faye Chamblin.  Phyllis was the youngest daughter of 13 siblings.  Her brothers were Hugh, Robert, Wilbur, William, Keith, Rodney and Barry.  Her sisters were Dorothy (Dryden), Pauline (McKeag), Sadie (Call), Rosemary (La Cross) and Alma Jean (Kleem).

Little is known about her childhood and life on the farm, but Ohio marriage records indicate that she married Bobbie Evans Johnson in Adams, Ohio, on July 29, 1953, at the age of 17.  There is no record about the dissolution of this marriage.

In 1954, Phyllis enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in Ohio but was later stationed in San Antonio, Texas.  In San Antonio, she met Charles “Charlie” Frias who was a civilian employee at Lackland Air Force Base.  Charlie was 13 years her senior, and in her book “Frias with Love: Where we come from, where we went” Phyllis described falling in love with him immediately. 

Phyllis and Charlie dated for a short time, but Phyllis was anxious to get married.  They pooled their money and found that they had almost $18.  In Sequin, Texas. they paid $10 for the blood tests and $5 for the marriage certificate and so they had $3 left to celebrate.  The marriage was on August 17, 1956, and lasted until Charlie’s death in 2006.  The couple resided with Charlie’s family and lived paycheck to paycheck as he did not want his wife to work.

In 1958, Phyllis took an extended trip to visit her sister in Las Vegas, Nevada.  In May of that year, Charlie came to Las Vegas to bring Phyllis home but something about the state intrigued Charlie.  Phyllis wrote that they had just enough money to get back to San Antonio and that going home would be the “safe bet.”  However, they decided in true Las Vegas fashion to toss a coin to decide their fate with “heads” they go and “tails” they stay.  The coin landed with “tails” and they remained in Las Vegas.

Charlie was very industrious and he landed a job at Nellis Air Force Base.  On October 31, 1961, he began working as a taxi driver for Union Cab, a small company with just five cabs and fewer than 20 employees.  Phyllis worked as a casino cashier.  Four years later, Charlie bought the cab company, and Phyllis took over the bookkeeping.  Over the next five decades the couple built their company, Frias Transportation Management, into the largest transportation company in the state of Nevada.  They owned five taxicab companies, a limousine company and an airport shuttle company with over 2500 employees.

The Fraises did not have any children, but they had a major impact on the children of Las Vegas.  The couple were extremely generous philanthropists and in 2003 an elementary school was named after them, the Charles and Phyllis Frias Elementary School.  Phyllis provided unprecedented support to the school with scholarships and technology gifts and she attended events there.  Every year, the Friases sent the entire fifth grade to Disneyland and they funded trips to Washington D.C.  Their generosity helped many southern Nevada high school students attend college.  A park was named after Charlie in 2012, the Charlie Frias Park on South Decatur Ave.

Other benefactors of the Friases’ generosity were the Smith Center for the Performing Arts, The Shade Tree, Opportunity Village, Child Haven, the Metropolitan Police Department, the Clark County Fire Department, The American Lung Association, Golden Gloves, the Las Vegas Rescue Mission and the University of Nevada Engineering College. 

In her book Phyllis wrote, “God gave us tools and we did our best to use them wisely.”  Randy Garcia, a former Nevada Taxicab Authority chairman, said the couple “derived great joy from quietly helping our community.” 

Charlie Frias died in 2006 at the age of 86 years and Phyllis wanted to honor his memory.  She built a spectacular bed and breakfast in the town of Alamo, Nevada, called “The Cowboy’s Dream.”  She chose the town of Alamo because Charlie was a Texan and the establishment was luxurious and unique.  Eventually this land and buildings were donated to the Girl Scouts.

Phyllis died in 2016, at the age of 80 after a long battle with cancer.  The monies of the Frias estate were placed in the Phyllis M. Frias Management Trust and were expected to provide tens of millions of dollars over decades in support of various southern Nevada causes.  John Mowbray, trustee of the Friases’ trust, wrote “they dedicated their lives to helping people, helping people believe in themselves.  They wanted people to get back up on their feet and lead good, productive lives.”

Phyllis Frias was buried with Charlie in the southern Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Boulder City.  Her gravestone notes she was “A3C USAF” and “in God’s hands.”  A mass in celebration of Phyllis’ life was held at the Guardian Angel Cathedral on November 18, 2016.

Published Work

Frias, Phyllis, Frias with Love: Where we come from, Where we went. 2008, North Haven, CT.

Researched and written by Carla Ford, 2026.