Thelma Phillips

Thelma Phillips was called to her heavenly home on Thursday, May 12th, 11:24 am, 2016 after an extended illness following an automobile accident in May of 2014. Homegoing service will be held 11 a.m., Tuesday, May 17, 2016 at Bethel Baptist Church with Revs. Travis Free and Chester Padgett officiating. Burial will follow in church cemetery with James & Lipford Funeral Home in Graceville directing. Family will receive friends at the church 10 a.m. until time of service. In lieu of flowers family request memorials be made to Covenant Hospice 4215 Kelson Avenue, Suite E Marianna, FL 32446. Ms. Thelma was born on December 26, 1930, in West, Texas, the daughter of Azzberry and Lissie Dalton. She lived most of her life in Denison, Texas, graduating from Denison High School in 1948. She was an industrious individual having worked as a teenager dipping ice cream and making sodas in a local old timey drug store's soda fountain in Denison. Later, after graduating from high school, she became an office manager in an office equipment store for some time and then was made office manager in a furniture and appliance store just across the street. The owner apparently saw great potential and offered her a substantial raise to come work for him. Sometime later she was offered and accepted the position of buyer for SCM Allied Egry Business Systems and worked there until she finally retired in 1991. At the age of 20, she fell in love and married a former classmate named Bob on January 17, 1950 in Denison, Texas and thus began a loving relationship that lasted for more than 66 years and produced 2 beautiful and loving daughters: Elaine Ann Phillips and Angelina Caroline Phillips. She raised these two daughters while her husband was working away from home on the railroad most of the time in their formative years -- making sure that they were brought up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord in his absence. She was always active in Southern Baptist Church life and in other volunteer Christian endeavors. She had a great love for little children and they related to her kind and loving disposition. She served as a Sunday School teacher for little children in her church and one time she even flew to Mexico at her own expense when her daughter and son-in-law were serving as missionaries there, just to work with the missionary children while their parents were involved in an important meeting of the missionaries for several days. She was an active leader in a girl's missions discipleship organization called Girls in Action in her church and later in the children's ministry organization called AWANA. She faithfully attended choir rehearsals which her choir director appreciated very much and sang in the church choir in each service and on special occasions. She served as church clerk at the business meetings and typed up many of the letters that went out from the church concerning special events. She kept the records of church members and their birthdays. She served as the substitute Sunday School teacher in her ladies' class when asked or needed. She was quick to volunteer for mission trips to other states and she worked with a disaster relief team preparing meals in Biloxi Mississippi for a week after a hurricane devastated the city. She and her husband worked for several years promoting and collecting Christmas shoe boxes for Samaritan's Purse. She never failed to tithe her income while she worked and on a number of occasions reminded her husband to do the same, proclaiming sweetly in no uncertain terms "Honey, at least 10% of that amount goes to the Lord." Her faith in the Lord was strong and was an inspiration to all who knew her especially her children and husband. In 1985, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and after hearing the diagnosis, her youngest daughter entered the room to see her mom smiling, seemingly unconcerned about the diagnosis. Her confidence and unconcerned demeanor dried her daughter's tears. She had a radical mastectomy and without radiation or chemotherapy, she survived cancer by God's grace. In 1995, she and Bob decided to leave Texas and move to Florida settling in Graceville to finish our their earthly residence and the rest is history. For a number of years, she volunteered to serve several days each month for the Holmes County Thrift Store in Bonifay, which is where she was headed when she had her near fatal automobile accident the day after Mother's Day in 2014. She is survived by a loving and devoted husband, Bob, and two beautiful daughters, Elaine Ann Cone and Angelina Caroline Bell, 2 wonderful sons-in-law: Dave Cone and Bryan Bell, from Graceville, 5 grandchildren: Michael and Patty Cone of Hellertown, Pennsylvania, Amy and Nathan Hall of Panama City, and Lexi Bell, of Graceville, 4 step grandchildren: Ryan and Kayla Bell, Jake Bell and Morgan Sumner, all of Graceville, 4 step great grandchildren: Lacey, Lailee, Kaysten, and Kaynon Bell of Graceville, 1 sister-in-law: Jean Dalton of Colorado, and a host of nephews and nieces in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado and New Mexico. She was preceded in death by her parents: Azzberry and Lissie Dalton, twin brother Elmer Dalton, and 3 half brothers, JC Pearson, Carlos Pearson, and LB Pearson. The family wishes to express their sincere gratitude to Covenant Hospice for their compassion and dedicated care giving that we have received during this very difficult time. We are especially thankful to Jimmy King for his gracious kindness, wisdom, and encouragement, and to Adrianna for her nursing expertise and always being available when needed, and to Prisicilla, who was always so kind, sweet, and gentle when bathing Thelma every day. We are also grateful for Sheila Sirman, from Council on Aging, and the excellent work she performed in coming 2 days a week to help clean our home. She became almost like family to us. We are also grateful for the members Bethel Baptist who visited, brought food, sent cards of encouragement, and daily bombarded the heavenly throne room of grace on our behalf, along with the many other friends we have not only in Graceville, but also the members of 1st Baptist Chipley who we have come to love over the past years.

Thelma Phillips

December 26, 1930 - May 12, 2016