Elwyn "Phil" Phillips was born in Merna, Nebraska, June 20, 1922, and grew up there, graduating from high school in 1939. He was baptized on April 7, 1923, by Rev. H A McKelvey of the United Brethren Church. In high school he was an honor roll student, lettered in football and band (trumpet), and was an excellent pianist. He played piano at church, school banquets and plays, and district and state competitions. He recieved a $150 scholarship from the Nebraska Association of Church Colleges and chose to attend York College in York, Nebraska, in the fall of 1939.
WWII was raging while Elwyn was in college and there was a high probability that he would be drafted. So he enlisted in the reserves in an attempt to finish college in 1943, but he was called to duty 2 months before graduation. During his college days he met Margaret Trout and by the time the Army called they had planned to marry. York College granted his degree in Music early and he went off to basic training in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He married Margaret on his first furlough, August 11, 1943. His assignment in th Army was to play trumpet in a band. He was sent to New York to await transfer to England by ship. But fate intervened and he had an asthma attack, so he was not able to travel with his unit. Rather than join his unit later, he was reassigned to an administrative unit attached to the 465th Engineers (part of the 29th Division). He arrived in England 6 months before D-Day. Eighteen days after the invasion, his unit went to France and continued on through Europe. It was part of the Battle of the Bulge, building bridges ahead of the major infantry units. His unit was also part of 3 other major campaigns in France, for which Elwyn received the French Legion of Honor medal. The unit continued from France and Belgium all the way thorugh Germany to Berlin. They were stationed in Berlin for 4 months after the war's end, and Elwyn returned to the US on November 20, 1945, and was discharged five days later.
After obtaining a graduate degree in social work from the University of Nebraska, Elwyn worked for the Family and Children's services in St. Joseph, Missouri, for a few months, and then went to work for the Veteran's Administration in Fort Meade, South Dakota in November of 1948. He transferred to Mountain Home VA Hospital, Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1966, and retired there July 1, 1977. While in Johnson City he taught classes in Social Work at East Tennessee State University.
Elwyn and Margaret enjoyed square dancing. In South Dakota they would go to Saturday night square dances in the Alkalai Community Center. In Johnson City they found fellow square dancers and joined an organization for the state of Tennessee. Each year the organization would have a state convention, and one year Elwyn and Margaret hosted it in Johnson City. Besides his talent in music, Elwyn was also a talented poet. He wrote a Christmas poem every year from about 1960 until 2016. So Elwyn wrote a poem for every couple that came to the convention and that was how they were all introduced at the initial banquet.
Elwyn and Margeret were both involved with their church and community. Elwyn was a choir director for the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Johnson City and Margaret sang soprano in the choir. Margaret also played the organ and they became known for their piano-organ duets. They were both very active with the Optimist Club and Opti-Mrs Club. Both served as officers and one year they were named Optimist Member of the Year and Opti-Mrs Member of the Year, the first time in club hitory that a husband-wife team were so honored.
After they were both retired, they enjoyed traveling. They mainly chose bus tours with the Knox Tour company in Knoxville, TN. They made many friends on these tours, and they would often get their friends together to sign up for the same tours. Elwyn wrote a poem while on the tour and would send it to all their friends afterwards.
He and Margaret moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, in 1988. They became "snowbirds", living in a manufactured home in Sunny South Estates in the winter and living in an apartment attached to Lee's house in Farmer City, Illinois. Thus they enjoyed full-tme attention from their children and grandchildren. In 1995 Larry was transferred to North Carolina, but they declared they enjoyed Florida too much to move again.They kept up their bus tours for as long as they could. Twice a year they would pack up and make the drive between Boynton Beach and Farmer City. Even when they were no longer comfortable driving that long distance, their family would arrange to drive for them. They so enjoyed being able to see their family, even with Larry's family living in Raleigh. Except not so much when they were visiting in Raleigh and Hurricane Fran came through and felled a number of large trees in the backyard.
Elwyn had some mobility issues and that finally became too much to deal with on their own. For several years they remained in Boynton Beach and arranged for home assistance. But that also became to difficult to deal with, so the family packed them up and moved them to an assisted living facility in Gibson City, Illinois. For several years they enjoyed seeing their grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren before Margaret suddenly passed in 2015. Elwyn's physical care became to much for the assisted living staff so in February 2017 the family packed up and moved Elwyn to a better skilled facility in Powell, Tennessee. Unfortunaty, a third round of aspirational pneumonia was too much for him and he passed a couple of months later.
WWII was raging while Elwyn was in college and there was a high probability that he would be drafted. So he enlisted in the reserves in an attempt to finish college in 1943, but he was called to duty 2 months before graduation. During his college days he met Margaret Trout and by the time the Army called they had planned to marry. York College granted his degree in Music early and he went off to basic training in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He married Margaret on his first furlough, August 11, 1943. His assignment in th Army was to play trumpet in a band. He was sent to New York to await transfer to England by ship. But fate intervened and he had an asthma attack, so he was not able to travel with his unit. Rather than join his unit later, he was reassigned to an administrative unit attached to the 465th Engineers (part of the 29th Division). He arrived in England 6 months before D-Day. Eighteen days after the invasion, his unit went to France and continued on through Europe. It was part of the Battle of the Bulge, building bridges ahead of the major infantry units. His unit was also part of 3 other major campaigns in France, for which Elwyn received the French Legion of Honor medal. The unit continued from France and Belgium all the way thorugh Germany to Berlin. They were stationed in Berlin for 4 months after the war's end, and Elwyn returned to the US on November 20, 1945, and was discharged five days later.
After obtaining a graduate degree in social work from the University of Nebraska, Elwyn worked for the Family and Children's services in St. Joseph, Missouri, for a few months, and then went to work for the Veteran's Administration in Fort Meade, South Dakota in November of 1948. He transferred to Mountain Home VA Hospital, Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1966, and retired there July 1, 1977. While in Johnson City he taught classes in Social Work at East Tennessee State University.
Elwyn and Margaret enjoyed square dancing. In South Dakota they would go to Saturday night square dances in the Alkalai Community Center. In Johnson City they found fellow square dancers and joined an organization for the state of Tennessee. Each year the organization would have a state convention, and one year Elwyn and Margaret hosted it in Johnson City. Besides his talent in music, Elwyn was also a talented poet. He wrote a Christmas poem every year from about 1960 until 2016. So Elwyn wrote a poem for every couple that came to the convention and that was how they were all introduced at the initial banquet.
Elwyn and Margeret were both involved with their church and community. Elwyn was a choir director for the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Johnson City and Margaret sang soprano in the choir. Margaret also played the organ and they became known for their piano-organ duets. They were both very active with the Optimist Club and Opti-Mrs Club. Both served as officers and one year they were named Optimist Member of the Year and Opti-Mrs Member of the Year, the first time in club hitory that a husband-wife team were so honored.
After they were both retired, they enjoyed traveling. They mainly chose bus tours with the Knox Tour company in Knoxville, TN. They made many friends on these tours, and they would often get their friends together to sign up for the same tours. Elwyn wrote a poem while on the tour and would send it to all their friends afterwards.
He and Margaret moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, in 1988. They became "snowbirds", living in a manufactured home in Sunny South Estates in the winter and living in an apartment attached to Lee's house in Farmer City, Illinois. Thus they enjoyed full-tme attention from their children and grandchildren. In 1995 Larry was transferred to North Carolina, but they declared they enjoyed Florida too much to move again.They kept up their bus tours for as long as they could. Twice a year they would pack up and make the drive between Boynton Beach and Farmer City. Even when they were no longer comfortable driving that long distance, their family would arrange to drive for them. They so enjoyed being able to see their family, even with Larry's family living in Raleigh. Except not so much when they were visiting in Raleigh and Hurricane Fran came through and felled a number of large trees in the backyard.
Elwyn had some mobility issues and that finally became too much to deal with on their own. For several years they remained in Boynton Beach and arranged for home assistance. But that also became to difficult to deal with, so the family packed them up and moved them to an assisted living facility in Gibson City, Illinois. For several years they enjoyed seeing their grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren before Margaret suddenly passed in 2015. Elwyn's physical care became to much for the assisted living staff so in February 2017 the family packed up and moved Elwyn to a better skilled facility in Powell, Tennessee. Unfortunaty, a third round of aspirational pneumonia was too much for him and he passed a couple of months later.
Elwyn "Phil" Phillips was born in Merna, Nebraska, June 20, 1922, and grew up there, graduating from high school in 1939. He was baptized on April 7, 1923, by Rev. H A McKelvey of the United Brethren Church. In high school he was an honor roll student, lettered in football and band (trumpet), and was an excellent pianist. He played piano at church, school banquets and plays, and district and state competitions. He recieved a $150 scholarship from the Nebraska Association of Church Colleges and chose to attend York College in York, Nebraska, in the fall of 1939.
WWII was raging while Elwyn was in college and there was a high probability that he would be drafted. So he enlisted in the reserves in an attempt to finish college in 1943, but he was called to duty 2 months before graduation. During his college days he met Margaret Trout and by the time the Army called they had planned to marry. York College granted his degree in Music early and he went off to basic training in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He married Margaret on his first furlough, August 11, 1943. His assignment in th Army was to play trumpet in a band. He was sent to New York to await transfer to England by ship. But fate intervened and he had an asthma attack, so he was not able to travel with his unit. Rather than join his unit later, he was reassigned to an administrative unit attached to the 465th Engineers (part of the 29th Division). He arrived in England 6 months before D-Day. Eighteen days after the invasion, his unit went to France and continued on through Europe. It was part of the Battle of the Bulge, building bridges ahead of the major infantry units. His unit was also part of 3 other major campaigns in France, for which Elwyn received the French Legion of Honor medal. The unit continued from France and Belgium all the way thorugh Germany to Berlin. They were stationed in Berlin for 4 months after the war's end, and Elwyn returned to the US on November 20, 1945, and was discharged five days later.
After obtaining a graduate degree in social work from the University of Nebraska, Elwyn worked for the Family and Children's services in St. Joseph, Missouri, for a few months, and then went to work for the Veteran's Administration in Fort Meade, South Dakota in November of 1948. He transferred to Mountain Home VA Hospital, Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1966, and retired there July 1, 1977. While in Johnson City he taught classes in Social Work at East Tennessee State University.
Elwyn and Margaret enjoyed square dancing. In South Dakota they would go to Saturday night square dances in the Alkalai Community Center. In Johnson City they found fellow square dancers and joined an organization for the state of Tennessee. Each year the organization would have a state convention, and one year Elwyn and Margaret hosted it in Johnson City. Besides his talent in music, Elwyn was also a talented poet. He wrote a Christmas poem every year from about 1960 until 2016. So Elwyn wrote a poem for every couple that came to the convention and that was how they were all introduced at the initial banquet.
Elwyn and Margeret were both involved with their church and community. Elwyn was a choir director for the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Johnson City and Margaret sang soprano in the choir. Margaret also played the organ and they became known for their piano-organ duets. They were both very active with the Optimist Club and Opti-Mrs Club. Both served as officers and one year they were named Optimist Member of the Year and Opti-Mrs Member of the Year, the first time in club hitory that a husband-wife team were so honored.
After they were both retired, they enjoyed traveling. They mainly chose bus tours with the Knox Tour company in Knoxville, TN. They made many friends on these tours, and they would often get their friends together to sign up for the same tours. Elwyn wrote a poem while on the tour and would send it to all their friends afterwards.
He and Margaret moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, in 1988. They became "snowbirds", living in a manufactured home in Sunny South Estates in the winter and living in an apartment attached to Lee's house in Farmer City, Illinois. Thus they enjoyed full-tme attention from their children and grandchildren. In 1995 Larry was transferred to North Carolina, but they declared they enjoyed Florida too much to move again.They kept up their bus tours for as long as they could. Twice a year they would pack up and make the drive between Boynton Beach and Farmer City. Even when they were no longer comfortable driving that long distance, their family would arrange to drive for them. They so enjoyed being able to see their family, even with Larry's family living in Raleigh. Except not so much when they were visiting in Raleigh and Hurricane Fran came through and felled a number of large trees in the backyard.
Elwyn had some mobility issues and that finally became too much to deal with on their own. For several years they remained in Boynton Beach and arranged for home assistance. But that also became to difficult to deal with, so the family packed them up and moved them to an assisted living facility in Gibson City, Illinois. For several years they enjoyed seeing their grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren before Margaret suddenly passed in 2015. Elwyn's physical care became to much for the assisted living staff so in February 2017 the family packed up and moved Elwyn to a better skilled facility in Powell, Tennessee. Unfortunaty, a third round of aspirational pneumonia was too much for him and he passed a couple of months later.
WWII was raging while Elwyn was in college and there was a high probability that he would be drafted. So he enlisted in the reserves in an attempt to finish college in 1943, but he was called to duty 2 months before graduation. During his college days he met Margaret Trout and by the time the Army called they had planned to marry. York College granted his degree in Music early and he went off to basic training in Ft. Belvoir, Virginia. He married Margaret on his first furlough, August 11, 1943. His assignment in th Army was to play trumpet in a band. He was sent to New York to await transfer to England by ship. But fate intervened and he had an asthma attack, so he was not able to travel with his unit. Rather than join his unit later, he was reassigned to an administrative unit attached to the 465th Engineers (part of the 29th Division). He arrived in England 6 months before D-Day. Eighteen days after the invasion, his unit went to France and continued on through Europe. It was part of the Battle of the Bulge, building bridges ahead of the major infantry units. His unit was also part of 3 other major campaigns in France, for which Elwyn received the French Legion of Honor medal. The unit continued from France and Belgium all the way thorugh Germany to Berlin. They were stationed in Berlin for 4 months after the war's end, and Elwyn returned to the US on November 20, 1945, and was discharged five days later.
After obtaining a graduate degree in social work from the University of Nebraska, Elwyn worked for the Family and Children's services in St. Joseph, Missouri, for a few months, and then went to work for the Veteran's Administration in Fort Meade, South Dakota in November of 1948. He transferred to Mountain Home VA Hospital, Johnson City, Tennessee, in 1966, and retired there July 1, 1977. While in Johnson City he taught classes in Social Work at East Tennessee State University.
Elwyn and Margaret enjoyed square dancing. In South Dakota they would go to Saturday night square dances in the Alkalai Community Center. In Johnson City they found fellow square dancers and joined an organization for the state of Tennessee. Each year the organization would have a state convention, and one year Elwyn and Margaret hosted it in Johnson City. Besides his talent in music, Elwyn was also a talented poet. He wrote a Christmas poem every year from about 1960 until 2016. So Elwyn wrote a poem for every couple that came to the convention and that was how they were all introduced at the initial banquet.
Elwyn and Margeret were both involved with their church and community. Elwyn was a choir director for the Otterbein United Methodist Church in Johnson City and Margaret sang soprano in the choir. Margaret also played the organ and they became known for their piano-organ duets. They were both very active with the Optimist Club and Opti-Mrs Club. Both served as officers and one year they were named Optimist Member of the Year and Opti-Mrs Member of the Year, the first time in club hitory that a husband-wife team were so honored.
After they were both retired, they enjoyed traveling. They mainly chose bus tours with the Knox Tour company in Knoxville, TN. They made many friends on these tours, and they would often get their friends together to sign up for the same tours. Elwyn wrote a poem while on the tour and would send it to all their friends afterwards.
He and Margaret moved to Boynton Beach, Florida, in 1988. They became "snowbirds", living in a manufactured home in Sunny South Estates in the winter and living in an apartment attached to Lee's house in Farmer City, Illinois. Thus they enjoyed full-tme attention from their children and grandchildren. In 1995 Larry was transferred to North Carolina, but they declared they enjoyed Florida too much to move again.They kept up their bus tours for as long as they could. Twice a year they would pack up and make the drive between Boynton Beach and Farmer City. Even when they were no longer comfortable driving that long distance, their family would arrange to drive for them. They so enjoyed being able to see their family, even with Larry's family living in Raleigh. Except not so much when they were visiting in Raleigh and Hurricane Fran came through and felled a number of large trees in the backyard.
Elwyn had some mobility issues and that finally became too much to deal with on their own. For several years they remained in Boynton Beach and arranged for home assistance. But that also became to difficult to deal with, so the family packed them up and moved them to an assisted living facility in Gibson City, Illinois. For several years they enjoyed seeing their grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren before Margaret suddenly passed in 2015. Elwyn's physical care became to much for the assisted living staff so in February 2017 the family packed up and moved Elwyn to a better skilled facility in Powell, Tennessee. Unfortunaty, a third round of aspirational pneumonia was too much for him and he passed a couple of months later.
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