Ollie Phillips

OLLIE PHILLIPS

Waynesville, Ollie Beatrice Twilley Phillips, 94, passed away on September 10, 2018, of natural causes at the Haywood House in Canton, NC.

She was married for 71 years to the late Henry (Hank) A. Phillips, Jr. Prior to relocating to Waynesville in January 2009, Hank and Ollie were long-time residents of Tampa FL and members of Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church.

Ollie was born on November 20, 1923, in Quintin, AL, one of nine children of James Thomas Twilley and Velma Bell Street. While working in Birmingham as a final inspector of top-secret electronic equipment installed in military airplanes during World War II, she met Hank who was a pilot in the Army Air Corps reassigned to ferry new B-24s worldwide after completing 100 missions flying transport planes over "the Hump" between India to China. After a two-month courtship, they were married on February 15, 1945 in the chapel at the Birmingham Air Field. The first 17 years of their marriage were nomadic, with 14 relocations to military bases across the nation, including Alaska when it was a territory and later a recently admitted state. During those years, Ollie served as a Gray Lady, the term for an American Red Cross volunteer, at medical facilities on military bases where her husband was stationed, fashion model for local department stores, Girl Scout leader, and chauffeur to daughters' dance lessons and recitals when she was not packing for an upcoming move or unpacking from recent move or working full-time as an apartment rental agent.

After her husband retired from the US Air Force in 1962, Ollie and her family completed their last transcontinental journey together, flying from Anchorage AK to Tacoma WA and then driving to Tampa FL. For 12 years, she worked at the MacDill Air Force Base branch of the First National Bank of Tampa to assure her daughters completed their undergraduate studies at Florida State University without incurring major debt. When Hank retired from serving as the data systems manager for the City of Tampa, Ollie likewise retired and became an avid golfer. Over the ensuing two decades, they played courses throughout the United States, collecting trophies and awards for their golfing talent. She won the Women's Club Championship title at the MacDill AFB Golf Club seven times and traveled nationally to play in numerous championship tournaments at other military facilities.

When not on the golf course, she loved spending time with her family. She regularly invited her grandchildren to spend weekends at "Mimi and Papa's house" where they learned to cook and garden, built forts in the dining room, and played dress-up with treasures found in Mimi's closet and make-up drawer. She and her daughters enjoyed traveling together nationally and internationally, reading the same novels shared among them, and co-hosting family gatherings and celebrations. As a mother and grandmother, she could be a tough critic at times but was always a forgiving and loving champion.

Ollie is survived by three daughters, Tricia Browne-Ferrigno, Deborah MacIntosh and Pamella Anderson; five grandchildren , Allison Browne, Parke Anderson, Phillip Browne, Shawn MacIntosh, Paige Anderson; and three great-grandchildren, James, Katherine and Arden.

Per Hank and Ollie's written instructions, a private memorial service will be held at Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church when their ashes are spread in the Memorial Garden on the church property.

Those wishing to make a memorial donation in the name of Ollie Beatrice Phillips may want to consider one of the following organizations: Palma Ceia Presbyterian Church Christian Education Program, 3501 West San Jose Street Tampa, FL 33629 (http://palmaceia.org) or the First Presbyterian Church Building Fund, 305 N. Main Street, Waynesville, NC 28786 (https://fpcwaynesville.org)

The care of Ollie has been entrusted to Wells Funeral Homes and an online memorial register is available at "Obituaries" at www.wellsfuneralhome.com

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