Robert D. Phillips

Robert Donald Phillips, age 94, passed away at his Bremerton home early on the morning of 31 January 2016. Robert was born in E. St. Louis Illinois on 15 April 1921 to Donald Rollie Phillips and Mary Emily (Wantland) Phillips and was called "Buddy" by his family. He grew up during the Great Depression years in Maplewood Park which is now Cahokia Illinois where he assisted his Father in maintaining their livestock and crops. He was later employed as a clerk and delivery driver for Chaudet's General Store in Maplewood. He attended Maplewood Park Elementary School and Graduated from Dupo Senior High School in 1940. During World War II he served as the Flight Engineer for 15 missions on various B-17s including Bugs, Patches, Chief Wahoo, Wolf's Hollow, Heaven Can Wait, and El Diablo. On his 15th and final mission which was to bomb the Ploesti Oil Fields in Romania, his plane received heavy flak damage and was shot down on the return portion of the mission. He was captured by the local Romanian Militia on 5 April 1944. He was held as a POW at 5 different sites and was finally liberated in early September 1944 when he was returned to Allied control in Italy. There he and the other former POWs were personally greeted by Major General Nathan F. Twinning Commanding Officer of the 15th Air Force. After the war he found work with the Illinois Central (IC) Railroad. On 7 September 1945 he married Nora Dorris Sheeley. They raised three sons Donald Rollie, John Lee, and Lannis Dean in Cahokia. While raising his family and working for the IC Railroad, he and Nora opened a Hair Styling Salon where he performed Razor cuts as and advanced Hair stylist. In addition he raised honey bees and operated a part time saw sharpening business at his home. After retiring from the Railroad in 1981 he and Nora moved to Doniphan Missouri where they raised chickens. After Nora's death in December 1986, he relocated to Hereford Arizona where he lived with his son John Lee. He lived there until he married his second wife Dorothy Young on 5 March 1993 in Poplar Bluff Missouri. He and Dorothy personally completed several home improvement projects including adding aluminum siding to their home after the age of 80. A couple of years after Dorothy' s death in February 2006 he moved to Bremerton Washington to live with his son Donald and Donald's wife Bev. Robert was a devout Christian and always provided monthly tithes to his church. He was easy going, well liked, slow to anger, cool under pressure, generous to others in need, and had a flawless memory up to the very end, and. He never considered either himself or his experiences as extraordinary. He was content to be simply considered as a "Good Man". Robert is survived by his sister Loretta Parrish and Brother-in-Law Jack Parrish of Foley Alabama, son Donald Rollie Phillips and Daughter-in-Law Bev J Phillips of Bremerton Washington, son John Lee Phillips of Hereford Arizona, son Lannis Dean Phillips and Daughter-in-Law Kathy Phillips of St. Louis Missouri, Granddaughter Beth P (Phillips) Starr and Great Granddaughter Ava B Starr of Saratoga Springs Utah, and Granddaughter Allison Phillips of Berlin, Germany. A visitation will be Friday at 10:30 A.M. At Fitch-Hillis Funeral Home Chapel followed by the funeral service at 11:00 A.M. The Rev. James Healy will officiate. Burial will be at Memorial Gardens.