Joseph John (Joe) Phillips |
| Posted 2017-09-19 by Judy Wight Branson |
| The Daily Courier, Prescott, Arizona Wednesday, September 6, 2017, page 5a Joseph John “Joe” Phillips, a longtime resident of Granite Gate Senior Resort in Prescott, passed away on Aug. 18, 2017. Joe was born in Lansford, Pennsylvania, on Dec. 24, 1921. He graduated from Lansford High School in 1939, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps in World War II, where he scored so high on his testing that he was given a choice to be a pilot, a navigator or bombardier. He chose to fly! This was an uncommon position for a young man from a very small coal mining town in Pennsylvania who did not, even as yet have a driver’s license. Joe’s skills were such that the War Department determined that he would stay stateside as a flight instructor for the duration of the war. After Victory, Joe served seven years in the reserves of the newly formed United States Air Force, leaving the service as a full Lieutenant. Joe married Gertha “Pink” Phillips (Spillane) on June 3, 1944. They enjoyed nearly 55 years together. Joe worked in Tool and Die for 10 years, including producing parts for the Apollo Mission to the Moon. Joe then made a career selling athletic training room supplies to high schools and colleges across Michigan and Ohio. When Joe retired to Florida from this career, many of his customers considered him more of a friend, than a salesperson. This career selling sport supplies fit right in with Joe’s keen interest in all things sports! Joe and Pink were charter members of St. Alexander Catholic Church in Farmington, Michigan, and were active in supporting the church, including retiring the mortgage for the construction of the church. Joe was a member of the American Legion and a life member of the Knights of Columbus, having served as Grand Knight of the St. Francis Council number 4401 in Farmington for several terms. In 2005, having lived in Florida for over 20 years, Joe relocated to Prescott, Arizona, where he was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Joe took the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi as his personal motto, always attempting to be a channel of peace and to be helpful to his family, church, neighbors and country. He never met anyone who was not soon a friend. Joe is survived by his three sons, Joe and his wife, Karen, of Estes Park Colorado, Jim and his wife, Alicia, of Lake Orion, Michigan, and John and his wife, Lisa, of Prescott; as well as several grandchildren and many great-grandchildren; and his sister, Ann Filipowicz. Joe was preceded in death by his parents, John Edward and Mary Philips (Szlag); his wife, Pink; his brothers, Stanley and John; and his sisters, Sister Mary Clarita of the Bernardine Sisters, Third Order of St. Francis and Esther Able. Memorial Service: Granite Gate Senior Resort, 3850 N. Highway 89, in Prescott, on Sept. 8, 2017, at 9 a.m. Information provided by survivors. |
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