Richard Phillips

Richard "Rich" Phillips passed away peacefully on October 5, 2022 from congestive heart failure at the age of 66. His devoted wife of 44 years, Debbie, was by his side. He is survived by Debbie, his sons; Ryan (Stephanie), and Justin (Adriana), grandsons; Dylan, Brentley, Lucan, and Everett. He is also survived by his sisters Margie Collins, Suzie Clinkscales, and several nieces and nephews.

Rich was raised in Lake Charles, Louisiana by his mother, Barbara, along with his three sisters and younger brother. He described himself as a mischievous child, always looking for an adventure. At the age of 12, he enrolled at Oak Ridge Military Academy in North Carolina where he remained for the duration of his high school education. While there, he was responsible for the morning bugle call, played soccer, and ran track and field. After graduation, he held various odd jobs including work at a mattress factory installing springs until he decided to enlist in the United States Navy. He spent 9 years in the Navy as a Missile Technician (MT), serving at numerous duty stations including: Recruit Training Command in Orlando FL, USS JOHN MARSHALL (SSBN) in Pearl Harbor, HI and POLARIS Missile Facility, Atlantic in Charleston, SC. While in Charleston, he was recognized and awarded as Sailor of the Year in 1980. Though he had a prestigious and successful Naval career, if you asked him what his greatest accomplishment during his time in the Navy was, he would proclaim it was meeting and marrying the love of his life, Debbie. They met in Pearl Harbor in 1977 while she was visiting his submarine with a friend. Their first date was a Foghat concert, and they quickly fell in love. Rich and Deb were married on March 11, 1978 in Honolulu, and their first son, Ryan, was born that November. Their second son, Justin, was born a few years later on Rich's birthday!

After his time in the Navy, Rich and Deb moved to Morgan Hill, CA to live close to Deb's parents. In 1989, Ryan and Justin showed interest in Pop Warner Football, and for the next 27 years Rich was a staple in the organization, volunteering as a coach, Athletic Director and President. While sitting as President, he advocated strongly for the construction of the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Complex and in 2008, he was recognized as the Pacific Northwest Region Pop Warner Volunteer of the Year. He is remembered as being a positive role model, always looking out for the best interest of the players and instilling lifelong leadership skills for multiple generations of Morgan Hill youth.

Rich worked as a project manager in the low voltage contracting field for 40 years and was a member of the IBEW. On the job, he was known as dependable and hardworking, but most of all he was revered as a mentor and leader who was admired by all of his co-workers.

Rich was fun loving, he enjoyed live music, science-fiction, long conversations with friends, family and acquaintances, sushi and authentic Louisiana Gumbo. He loved his family immensely and told them so at every opportunity.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 6pm on October 28, 2022 at the Morgan Hill Outdoor Sports Complex in Morgan Hill, CA.

Published in Morgan Hill Times · October 26, 2022