William “Bill” E. Phillips
Bill Phillips lost his courageous battle against advanced pancreatic cancer on Saturday, October 29, 2011. He passed away at home overlooking beautiful Flathead Lake in Polson, MT. He was born on May 26, 1942, in Missoula, Mt to Emery and Clayetta Phillips. Bill was a loving husband and father, an amazing grandfather, a wonderful father-in-law, uncle, and cousin and a compassionate fun-loving friend. He will be missed by all who knew him and loved him.
Bill grew up and attended schools in Fairfield, Montana and was a 1960 graduate of Fairfield High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from Montana State University in Bozeman, MT where he was a member of the Bobcat basketball team. In January 2010, he was inducted with his team, the 1964 Big Sky Champions, into the Bobcat Athletic Hall of Fame. After college, Bill worked in Helena MT for Montana Telephone Company.
Bill was married to Jeanette Boyd on January 3, 1970, in Wolf Point, MT. They first lived in Foster City, CA where Bill worked for General Electric Company. He was transferred to Fresno, CA in 1971, where he continued to work for General Electric. After several years, he went to work for Valley Children’s Hospital as a Human Resources Generalist from 1991 to 1997. Bill became a Senior Human Resources Representative in 1997 for Valero Energy Company. He was transferred to Denver, CO and retired from Valero in 2004. He always loved his home state and dreamed about living in beautiful Montana near his brother, David. He and his wife moved to Polson, MT after he retired. After a year of retirement, Bill went to work for US Department of Homeland Security – FEMA where he served as an Equal Rights Officer and later a Congressional Liaison.
Bill and Jeanette had two children, Kelly and John, they were the “light of his life,” but his greatest love was his four grandchildren. His charisma and great sense of humor won him many wonderful friends. He loved watching his son play baseball, his daughter as a cheerleader, playing golf, visiting with his friends and cheering for the Bobcats.
Bill was preceded in death by his parents, Emery Phillips and Clayetta Phillips McCoy and his brother, David Phillips.
He is survived by his wife Jeanette Phillips, Polson, MT; daughter, Kelly Phillips Gonzalez (Donald), Del Rey, CA; son, John Phillips (Karin) Parker, CO; Grandchildren, Gillian and Nicholas Gonzalez, Del Rey, CA; Jackson and Madelin Grace, Parker, CO and many cousins.
A celebration of Bill’s life will be held at Grogan Funeral Home in Polson, MT on Saturday, November 5, 2011, at 11:00 am. Messages may be sent to the family online at www.groganfuneralhome.com.
Interment will take place at a later date at the Victor Cemetery in Victor, MT.
Memorials for Bill may be sent to Pancreatic Cancer Action Network, 1500 Rosecrans Avenue, Manhattan Beach, CA 90266; KRMC Lake County Hospice, 310 Sunnyview Lane, Kalispell, MT 59901; or Polson Loaves and Fish Food Pantry, 904 1st Street, Polson, MT 59860.
What a guy, Bill was a gentle soul and an inspiration to all who knew him. Bill was always at Swim Day and we always looked forward to our visits. We weren’t aware that he was so ill until Kermit told us at Swim Day this year. Our best to his loving family.
I hope this message gets to Jeanette Phillips, we worked together for many years in Fresno. I am so sorry to read of Bills passing. The years have passed and I had not heard from Jeanette but did hear from Lonna Torrico about Bill’s illness. I send my sympathy to Bill’s family as well.
Jeanette, my condelences to you and your family. My dad spoke fondly about the Philip’s family and your move to Montana. I hope you find peace that Bill is no longer suffering.
Fondly,
Lori Lubic Ninberg
“You remind me of your father” may be the single best compliment I could ever receive! I love you pop. I’ll see you down the road…..
Love,
John
It was an extreme pleasure to work with Bill at FEMA. He always spoke so fondly of his children and wife, so I send them my sincere sympathy for their lose.
To my dear sister Jeanette and family,
May you find comfort in the many great and fond memories that you will forever hold in your hearts of those very special times together. Take refuge in knowing that Bill is free from all his suffering now. But his spirit lives on .
There are simply no words adequate enough to convey our most heartfelt condolences to the Phillips family on the loss of their beloved husband and father. In his presence, Bill made us smile, chuckle, and laugh like there was no tomorrow. He was a giant of a man, a devoted husband and father, a dear friend to so many, and we loved him with all of our heart. We are so grateful for the friendship, wonderful shared events, and the many wonderful memories he left with us from the Bullard Baseball era. Having not seen Bill for several years, we always missed his humor, spirit, and incredible laugh, and would have enjoyed so much, just one last time to see him. Our hearts go out to Jeanette, John, and Kelly as they mourn this incredible loss. May you find peace in the love of family, strength in the caring words of friends, and comfort in Bill’s soft presence all around you. You are in our thoughts and prayers
To Jeannette and family I send my thoughts and prayers. Bill was a great Bobcat and I enjoyed coaching him. He was always ready to play and very competitive, AND always enjoyed beating the Griz. I was pleased to see all of you at the Hall Of Fame celebration. You added a lot with your t-shirts and your enthusiasm. I know it is a great loss to you but celebrate the great life he had.
I have worked with Bill on numerous occassions when he was deployed in FEMA; he was a wonderful person and I loved him as a dear friend. We have travelled all over various states and he always talked about his wonderful family; how great his wife was and how much he loved and admired her and everything she had done to take care of her mother. We laughed about our wonderful grandchildren, how we loved them and our children who were the love of our life. I spoke with him several times during his illness and he was always upbeat and positive; he was going through chemo during the same time my daughter was and he always said, “Dianne this stuff is no joke.” I prayed for his comfort and peace and I will now pray for his family as they were the love of his life. Goodbye my dear sweet friend; you are loved and will always remain in my heart and my memories. Heaven is now a better place and I surely hope they have a basketball court.God Bless You Phillips family.
Dear Phillips Family: I’m so very sorry to learn of Bill’s passing. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Bill while we were both employed at Valley Children’s Hospital years ago. Bill’s sense of humor was ALWAYS a bright spot in the work day.
My sincere condolences.
Connie Pierce
Dear Phillip’s Family:
I was so saddened when I learned of Bill’s passing. I worked with Bill at Valley Children’s in HR. Bill always had a warm smile and encouraging word during stressful times. I’ll never forget his compassion for children. As a single mom of two young children, Bill always offered encouragement. My fondest memories are the times Bill would talk about his son John and pitching baseball. Several of us from the HR department went to one of John’s games. My son was in awe of John and wanted a picture taken with him after the game. John, like his dad, was so kind and spent a little time with a little boy who wanted to be a pitcher like John. John also signed a baseball for Nick and he still has it to this day! Bill was always do proud of his wife, daughter, and son. I can only imagine what a wonderful grandfather he was. I remember when Bill “retired” from VCH, I helped him with his pension and would occasionally hear from him over the years changing his address and briefly catching up. There was never enough time to hear all of Bill’s updates even after hours of talking by phone or exchanging emails. The world is a little dimmer without Bill’s contagious smile and laughter. I can now look forward to seeing Bill one day in heaven where we’ll have eternity to hear all of Bill’s adventures! Bill was one of my favorite co-workers and has left a huge impression on me and so many of us who had the honor of working with Bill at VCH.
Bill’s Family: May God continue to comfort you in the days to come.