James F. Phillips, 94, of Fitzgerald, Georgia, died Sunday, June 24, 2018, at his residence.
Funeral services will be held 11 AM, Tuesday, June 26, 2018, at First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald, with the Rev. Dr. Mike Ruffin officiating. Interment will follow at 2 PM, in Woodlawn Annex Cemetery in Adel. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the sanctuary on Tuesday.
Mr. Phillips was born March 14, 1924, in Adel, Georgia, to the late John Otis & Bessie McDaniel Phillips. He served his country honorably in the United States Navy as a Ship’s Cook during World War II. He was a postal carrier in Adel. He began walking a city route then graduated to riding a bicycle. He later became a rural carrier before retiring after 37 years of service. As a young man, he cut meat in the family meat market in Adel. Following his retirement, he owned and operated a catering service. Together with his first wife, Eudora, they traveled to Gatlinburg, Tennessee on mission trips to feed camp attendees. He was a former member of First Baptist Church in Adel. He was a member of First Baptist Church in Fitzgerald where he had served as a deacon, was a member of the Baracca Sunday School class and the Bereavement Committee and also worked at the Christian Kitchen alongside his wife Sara.
He is survived by his wife of 16 years, Sara T. Phillips of Fitzgerald; children: Joy Phillips Quinn & Henry of Evans, Gail Giddens & Johnny of Fitzgerald, and John Giddens & Gloria of Winder; several grandchildren and great-grandchildren; and a sister, Kay Powell & Jim of Milton, Florida. Several special nieces and nephews also survive. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his first wife, Eudora Pafford Phillips, four brothers, and two sisters.