Victor Duzerah Phillips, Jr., loving husband of seventy years to Grace (Frysinger), devoted father to Vic, Minta, and Stone, died peacefully July 11th in Greensboro, NC. He is remembered by family and friends for his kindness, generosity, humility and intellect.
First and foremost, Victor was a family man, always providing loving care and encouragement. Deflecting attention from himself, he focused on others’ pursuits. His introspective shyness and quiet thoughtful nature delighted in Grace’s gregarious ways. A classic case of “opposites attract” sustained a long marriage. Known for his dry wit and cluttered desk, Victor was once asked by “neatnik” Grace why he never learned to “clean up after his own mess,” an early lesson taught to her kindergarten students. He replied, “I never went to kindergarten.” Last year, as Grace’s progressive dementia necessitated memory care in separate quarters, Victor visited her three times daily-- his life’s purpose.
Born on New Year’s Day, 1919 to Victor and Annie Phillips, Victor Jr. grew up fourth of six children on a farm near Waxahachie, Texas. A child of the Great Depression, he learned early lessons in self-sufficiency, discipline and empathy. Childhood years spent without electricity inspired his lifelong interest in electronics. Early on, Victor built his own crystal radio set, hi-fi stereo, even a television. His gifted mind thrilled at the beauty of calculus and the power of words. He enjoyed classic literature, daily crossword puzzles and e-mailing favorite wordlists to his grandchildren. At 63, he joined the new computer revolution. Well into his 80’s, he was the go-to-man for all things cyber for his children and digitally-challenged friends. Following coronary by-pass surgery at age 70, he embraced exercise. He took diurnal walks, undeterred by inclement weather. With increasing age, he switched his daily routine to a NuStep machine, pedaling until the week he died. Victor was also an early champion of psychotherapy, talking openly of its life-enhancing benefits in managing his anxiety, helping to de-stigmatize mental health care for others.
An army veteran of World War II, Victor sustained a shrapnel injury in the Battle of the Bulge resulting in lifelong paralysis of his right arm. He talked about this significant life change in a 1997 father-son interview on Dateline NBC. In a body cast, he married Grace, June 5th, 1945.
Victor attended the University of Texas, Austin, Chemical Engineering, BS, and Chemistry, MA, 1951. He was a Monsanto chemical engineer, 1950-1982.
In 1965, the family moved from Texas City, TX to the St. Louis area, where Victor worked as a Process Design Engineer for Monsanto’s Hydrocarbon Division while Grace began her career as a Parkway kindergarten teacher. Both were founding members of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville. Former Rector Howard Park remembers Victor for his unfailing humor and unwavering gratitude for the gift of divine grace. Rev. Park noted Victor’s formulation of a guiding spiritual principle, “Grace is the solution in which faith can grow.” After 46 years at their home in Ballwin and, later, Friendship Village of Chesterfield, Victor saw wisdom in moving with Grace to North Carolina to be closer to their physician daughter.
Victor is survived by his wife, Grace, three children, Victor D. Phillips, III, PhD of Milwaukee, WI (wife Mai), Minta Phillips, MD of Julian, NC and Stone Phillips of New York, NY, Broadcast Journalist (wife Debra), five grandchildren, Anisa Asakawa (husband Nick), Streeter, Catherine, Ben, Chiara, two cousins, five nieces and three nephews.
A memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s Church, 11:00am August 29th, 2015. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Howard Park Early Childhood Center (www.howardparkcenter.org), St. Martin’s Legacy Endowment Fund (www.stmartinschurch.org) or The Alzheimer’s Foundation (www.alzfdn.org). A service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, Ballwin, MO. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.
First and foremost, Victor was a family man, always providing loving care and encouragement. Deflecting attention from himself, he focused on others’ pursuits. His introspective shyness and quiet thoughtful nature delighted in Grace’s gregarious ways. A classic case of “opposites attract” sustained a long marriage. Known for his dry wit and cluttered desk, Victor was once asked by “neatnik” Grace why he never learned to “clean up after his own mess,” an early lesson taught to her kindergarten students. He replied, “I never went to kindergarten.” Last year, as Grace’s progressive dementia necessitated memory care in separate quarters, Victor visited her three times daily-- his life’s purpose.
Born on New Year’s Day, 1919 to Victor and Annie Phillips, Victor Jr. grew up fourth of six children on a farm near Waxahachie, Texas. A child of the Great Depression, he learned early lessons in self-sufficiency, discipline and empathy. Childhood years spent without electricity inspired his lifelong interest in electronics. Early on, Victor built his own crystal radio set, hi-fi stereo, even a television. His gifted mind thrilled at the beauty of calculus and the power of words. He enjoyed classic literature, daily crossword puzzles and e-mailing favorite wordlists to his grandchildren. At 63, he joined the new computer revolution. Well into his 80’s, he was the go-to-man for all things cyber for his children and digitally-challenged friends. Following coronary by-pass surgery at age 70, he embraced exercise. He took diurnal walks, undeterred by inclement weather. With increasing age, he switched his daily routine to a NuStep machine, pedaling until the week he died. Victor was also an early champion of psychotherapy, talking openly of its life-enhancing benefits in managing his anxiety, helping to de-stigmatize mental health care for others.
An army veteran of World War II, Victor sustained a shrapnel injury in the Battle of the Bulge resulting in lifelong paralysis of his right arm. He talked about this significant life change in a 1997 father-son interview on Dateline NBC. In a body cast, he married Grace, June 5th, 1945.
Victor attended the University of Texas, Austin, Chemical Engineering, BS, and Chemistry, MA, 1951. He was a Monsanto chemical engineer, 1950-1982.
In 1965, the family moved from Texas City, TX to the St. Louis area, where Victor worked as a Process Design Engineer for Monsanto’s Hydrocarbon Division while Grace began her career as a Parkway kindergarten teacher. Both were founding members of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville. Former Rector Howard Park remembers Victor for his unfailing humor and unwavering gratitude for the gift of divine grace. Rev. Park noted Victor’s formulation of a guiding spiritual principle, “Grace is the solution in which faith can grow.” After 46 years at their home in Ballwin and, later, Friendship Village of Chesterfield, Victor saw wisdom in moving with Grace to North Carolina to be closer to their physician daughter.
Victor is survived by his wife, Grace, three children, Victor D. Phillips, III, PhD of Milwaukee, WI (wife Mai), Minta Phillips, MD of Julian, NC and Stone Phillips of New York, NY, Broadcast Journalist (wife Debra), five grandchildren, Anisa Asakawa (husband Nick), Streeter, Catherine, Ben, Chiara, two cousins, five nieces and three nephews.
A memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s Church, 11:00am August 29th, 2015. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Howard Park Early Childhood Center (www.howardparkcenter.org), St. Martin’s Legacy Endowment Fund (www.stmartinschurch.org) or The Alzheimer’s Foundation (www.alzfdn.org). A service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, Ballwin, MO. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.
Victor Duzerah Phillips, Jr., loving husband of seventy years to Grace (Frysinger), devoted father to Vic, Minta, and Stone, died peacefully July 11th in Greensboro, NC. He is remembered by family and friends for his kindness, generosity, humility and intellect.
First and foremost, Victor was a family man, always providing loving care and encouragement. Deflecting attention from himself, he focused on others’ pursuits. His introspective shyness and quiet thoughtful nature delighted in Grace’s gregarious ways. A classic case of “opposites attract” sustained a long marriage. Known for his dry wit and cluttered desk, Victor was once asked by “neatnik” Grace why he never learned to “clean up after his own mess,” an early lesson taught to her kindergarten students. He replied, “I never went to kindergarten.” Last year, as Grace’s progressive dementia necessitated memory care in separate quarters, Victor visited her three times daily-- his life’s purpose.
Born on New Year’s Day, 1919 to Victor and Annie Phillips, Victor Jr. grew up fourth of six children on a farm near Waxahachie, Texas. A child of the Great Depression, he learned early lessons in self-sufficiency, discipline and empathy. Childhood years spent without electricity inspired his lifelong interest in electronics. Early on, Victor built his own crystal radio set, hi-fi stereo, even a television. His gifted mind thrilled at the beauty of calculus and the power of words. He enjoyed classic literature, daily crossword puzzles and e-mailing favorite wordlists to his grandchildren. At 63, he joined the new computer revolution. Well into his 80’s, he was the go-to-man for all things cyber for his children and digitally-challenged friends. Following coronary by-pass surgery at age 70, he embraced exercise. He took diurnal walks, undeterred by inclement weather. With increasing age, he switched his daily routine to a NuStep machine, pedaling until the week he died. Victor was also an early champion of psychotherapy, talking openly of its life-enhancing benefits in managing his anxiety, helping to de-stigmatize mental health care for others.
An army veteran of World War II, Victor sustained a shrapnel injury in the Battle of the Bulge resulting in lifelong paralysis of his right arm. He talked about this significant life change in a 1997 father-son interview on Dateline NBC. In a body cast, he married Grace, June 5th, 1945.
Victor attended the University of Texas, Austin, Chemical Engineering, BS, and Chemistry, MA, 1951. He was a Monsanto chemical engineer, 1950-1982.
In 1965, the family moved from Texas City, TX to the St. Louis area, where Victor worked as a Process Design Engineer for Monsanto’s Hydrocarbon Division while Grace began her career as a Parkway kindergarten teacher. Both were founding members of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville. Former Rector Howard Park remembers Victor for his unfailing humor and unwavering gratitude for the gift of divine grace. Rev. Park noted Victor’s formulation of a guiding spiritual principle, “Grace is the solution in which faith can grow.” After 46 years at their home in Ballwin and, later, Friendship Village of Chesterfield, Victor saw wisdom in moving with Grace to North Carolina to be closer to their physician daughter.
Victor is survived by his wife, Grace, three children, Victor D. Phillips, III, PhD of Milwaukee, WI (wife Mai), Minta Phillips, MD of Julian, NC and Stone Phillips of New York, NY, Broadcast Journalist (wife Debra), five grandchildren, Anisa Asakawa (husband Nick), Streeter, Catherine, Ben, Chiara, two cousins, five nieces and three nephews.
A memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s Church, 11:00am August 29th, 2015. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Howard Park Early Childhood Center (www.howardparkcenter.org), St. Martin’s Legacy Endowment Fund (www.stmartinschurch.org) or The Alzheimer’s Foundation (www.alzfdn.org). A service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, Ballwin, MO. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.
First and foremost, Victor was a family man, always providing loving care and encouragement. Deflecting attention from himself, he focused on others’ pursuits. His introspective shyness and quiet thoughtful nature delighted in Grace’s gregarious ways. A classic case of “opposites attract” sustained a long marriage. Known for his dry wit and cluttered desk, Victor was once asked by “neatnik” Grace why he never learned to “clean up after his own mess,” an early lesson taught to her kindergarten students. He replied, “I never went to kindergarten.” Last year, as Grace’s progressive dementia necessitated memory care in separate quarters, Victor visited her three times daily-- his life’s purpose.
Born on New Year’s Day, 1919 to Victor and Annie Phillips, Victor Jr. grew up fourth of six children on a farm near Waxahachie, Texas. A child of the Great Depression, he learned early lessons in self-sufficiency, discipline and empathy. Childhood years spent without electricity inspired his lifelong interest in electronics. Early on, Victor built his own crystal radio set, hi-fi stereo, even a television. His gifted mind thrilled at the beauty of calculus and the power of words. He enjoyed classic literature, daily crossword puzzles and e-mailing favorite wordlists to his grandchildren. At 63, he joined the new computer revolution. Well into his 80’s, he was the go-to-man for all things cyber for his children and digitally-challenged friends. Following coronary by-pass surgery at age 70, he embraced exercise. He took diurnal walks, undeterred by inclement weather. With increasing age, he switched his daily routine to a NuStep machine, pedaling until the week he died. Victor was also an early champion of psychotherapy, talking openly of its life-enhancing benefits in managing his anxiety, helping to de-stigmatize mental health care for others.
An army veteran of World War II, Victor sustained a shrapnel injury in the Battle of the Bulge resulting in lifelong paralysis of his right arm. He talked about this significant life change in a 1997 father-son interview on Dateline NBC. In a body cast, he married Grace, June 5th, 1945.
Victor attended the University of Texas, Austin, Chemical Engineering, BS, and Chemistry, MA, 1951. He was a Monsanto chemical engineer, 1950-1982.
In 1965, the family moved from Texas City, TX to the St. Louis area, where Victor worked as a Process Design Engineer for Monsanto’s Hydrocarbon Division while Grace began her career as a Parkway kindergarten teacher. Both were founding members of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Ellisville. Former Rector Howard Park remembers Victor for his unfailing humor and unwavering gratitude for the gift of divine grace. Rev. Park noted Victor’s formulation of a guiding spiritual principle, “Grace is the solution in which faith can grow.” After 46 years at their home in Ballwin and, later, Friendship Village of Chesterfield, Victor saw wisdom in moving with Grace to North Carolina to be closer to their physician daughter.
Victor is survived by his wife, Grace, three children, Victor D. Phillips, III, PhD of Milwaukee, WI (wife Mai), Minta Phillips, MD of Julian, NC and Stone Phillips of New York, NY, Broadcast Journalist (wife Debra), five grandchildren, Anisa Asakawa (husband Nick), Streeter, Catherine, Ben, Chiara, two cousins, five nieces and three nephews.
A memorial service will be held at St. Martin’s Church, 11:00am August 29th, 2015. In lieu of flowers, please send memorial donations to Howard Park Early Childhood Center (www.howardparkcenter.org), St. Martin’s Legacy Endowment Fund (www.stmartinschurch.org) or The Alzheimer’s Foundation (www.alzfdn.org). A service of the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, Ballwin, MO. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.
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