SOUTH PARIS — Edward Patrick Phillips, 98, of South Paris died unexpectedly Wednesday, Jan. 31, at his home in South Paris.
He was born March 31, 1919, in Patterson, New Jersey, a son of Edward P. and Ruth Wirz Phillips. He attended local schools in Patterson, and went on to, and graduated from Patterson State Teachers College in 1940. During these years, he spent wonderful summers working in Maine at Camp Ohuivo on Thompson Lake, as well as at the Hurst/Stone Farm.
In 1940, he joined the U.S. Army, and was a captain in the 596 Parachute Engineers and at the (18th) XVIII Airborne Corps Headquarters during WWII. On Jan. 2, 1944, while still serving, he met and married Kathleen Morton Richardson of South Paris. After the war, they resided in Paris, moved to Natick, Massachusetts and then returned to Maine to stay.
He taught school at Mildred Fox School, and was then employed in the optical business as a salesman for Univis Lens Co. and Bausch & Lomb Inc. He retired in 1980 as manager of the Maine and New Hampshire operations of Bausch & Lomb.
He was in the Maine National Guard in Norway, a school board member in Paris and member of the board of SAD 17. He was a board member of Paris Utility District for many years, and a board member of the Paris Public Library. For 25 years, he was a very active member of the Hillsmen Barbershop group, singing in a quartet for a number of years. He was an active member of St. Catherine Catholic Church in Norway, where he sang in the choir.
He is survived by his daughter, Jean A. Phillips, of Oxford; a nephew, Michael Meixner, wife, Laura, and their children Kayla and Eric; a niece, Susan Salant, and children Rachael, David, Jeremy and Ari; and many, many loving and loved friends, locally and away, especially those from Shore Camps in Otisfield, and his faithful caregivers over the past few years.
He was predeceased by his wife, Kathleen, a sister, Ruth Phillips and a brother, James Phillips.
The family wishes to thank the South Paris Police Department and PACE members for their caring and support.
Condolences and tributes may be shared at www.chandlerfunerals.com.
Edward Patrick Phillips
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Share your condolences, kind words and remembrances below. You must be logged into the website to comment. Subscribers, please login. Not a subscriber? Register to comment for free or subscribe to support our work.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.