ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — June 17, 1918 - June 1, 2012

Harold “Hal” Lovell Phillips, 93, went home to be with the Lord on June 1, 2012 in Ellicott City, MD.  He was born on June 17, 1918 in Greenville, KY to C.N. and Priscilla (Brothers) Phillips.  He was preceded home by his wife of 48 years, Inez Phillips in 1995 and survived by his daughter, Linda Ross, Kingston, NY; son, Alan Phillips, and daughter-in-law, Cheryl Phillips, Ellicott City, MD; grandchildren, Lindsey Ross, Kira Guidice (Steve), Jason Harlow, Sarah Feitknecht (Josh); great-grandson, Hayden Feitknecht; and sister, Dorothy Finley.  He was buried

at Evergreen Cemetery in Greenville,KY.

Harold served honorably in World War II, first as a private and then commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant (“since they wouldn’t promote me, I became an officer”) piloting the B25 bomber.  After completing 71 combat missions with the 5th Army Air Corps in the South Pacific Theater, primarily in the New Guinea arena, he trained cadets and was discharged as a 1st Lieutenant in August 1945. 

Before the war, he attended the University of Kentucky, Lexington, and afterwards Western Kentucky University, Bowling Green, on the GI Bill.  Harold married Inez Sweeney in 1947 and, after receiving his Bachelor of Science degree in agronomy and chemistry, did graduate work at the University of Wisconsin, Madison.  He was employed as a ‘dynamite’ chemist by Olin Mathieson in Wisconsin and southern Illinois.  Harold moved the family to Clinton in 1963 to work as a chemist at Nitrin, Cordova, IL and then Chemplex.  At Chemplex he began as a chemist but soon accepted a promotion to ethylene superintendent and was later superintendent of shipping.  He retired in January 1981 and for the next 30 years ran his own company, Phillips Management Services, recycling plastic between Iowa, Texas and Minnesota.  Harold finally retired in March 2010 at the age of 91, still driving and climbing on his roof with one of his four cats in one hand and phone in the other.  In October 2010, ‘Poppy’ moved to Maryland to enjoy the company of his great-grandson. 

Harold was a long-time member of Calvary Baptist Church and served in multiple ministries as deacon, chairman, trustee, choir member and financial officer.  He played his beloved guitar and mandolin at church, area senior centers and retirement homes.  In the past, he had been a Toastmaster, YMCA advocate and active in Republican politics.  After moving to Maryland, he attended Bethel Baptist Church and was involved in their Primetimer ministry for seniors.  He was also a lifelong Kentucky Wildcats fan with a fondness for the Cubs and the Green Bay Packers.  By God’s immeasurable grace, we will see you soon Dad, Poppy, Harold and Hal!