James "Jim" Hardy Phillips

James "Jim" Hardy Phillips of Wichita Falls, Texas, loved people.  For him, love was never just a word or even an emotion.  For Jim, it was a way of life.  It was action.  Love was something he did every day.  His was the heart of a giver, always looking for ways to bless others.  He was a servant to all and a great patriot, raising and saluting the American flag in his front yard every morning at dawn.  He was a good son, a loving husband, a great father and a bonus dad to his stepchildren.  His was a wide circle of friends and neighbors; his coffee pot was always full and his schedule never too busy to be available for someone in need.  His life was a fine example of and a great legacy to all who knew him.

Jim passed away on September 22, 2009, at age 82 years, in the Hospice of Wichita Falls after a brief illness.  He retired from the U.S. Navy as Master Chief Petty Officer in 1965.  He then spent a career in the U.S. Civil Service and retired in Wichita Falls in 1981.

Jim was born on January 8, 1927, in Elkton, TN, to Rowe and Lucille Hardy Phillips.  He was preceded in death by his parents, his two sisters, Roberta Tuck of Huntsville, AL and Bobbie Farmer of Athens, AL, and his first wife Odie Arville Tims Phillips whom he married on July 21, 1950.  She passed away on July 25, 2005.

He is survived by his wife Darla Jean Johnson Phillips, whom he married on October 19, 2006, and his family:  Daughter, Glenda Kay Phillips Knight and husband Michael of Beersheba Springs, TN; Son, Tim Rowe Phillips and wife, Kim of Lewisville, Texas; Stepdaughter, Linda Gayle Blackburn and husband, Dale, of Stillwater, OK; Stepsons,   James Michael Johnson and wife Margaret of Wetumka, OK; Brian Edwin Johnson and wife Donna of Sand Springs, OK; and Greg Alan Johnson and wife Tina of Stillwater, OK;  two grandsons, Adam James Phillips of Williamsport, PA and Christopher Hardy Phillips of Lewisville, Texas, and many cousins, nephews, nieces, step-grandchildren, and friends whose lives his affected with great love.

Funeral services will be 11:00 A.M. Saturday, September 26, 2009 at the Hampton Vaughan Funeral Home Chapel in Wichita Falls.  Burial will follow with Military Honors at Crestview Memorial Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Hospice of Wichita Falls.