Mary Phillips

Mary Allman Phillips, 89, of Mansfield, TX, passed away Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at Mansfield Methodist Hospital.

Mary was born November 23, 1930 in Centerville, Texas to Jonas Calep and Ada Angeline (Winchester) Allman.  In high school, she was a member of the Homemaking Club and played basketball with the Avalon Eagles.

On November 23, 1948, she married John T. Phillips in Italy, Texas. They had been married for almost 72 years when she passed. The couple lived in Texas until 1967 when they moved to Oklahoma. They also lived in Louisiana, and New Mexico, before returning to Texas in 1977.

Mary worked as a seamstress  at times, but her primary career was as a devoted homemaker and mother to three children. Mary loved cooking and her family dearly loved her cooking, especially cornbread dressing at Thanksgiving.  She also loved to fish and to have fish fry's. She was an excellent seamstress and her girls were almost entirely clothed with garments made by her own hands. Mary loved babies and children. She never passed up an opportunity to hold a baby in her arms; they were all blessings to her.

She was a member of various Baptist churches over the years and had been a member of Sardis Baptist Church since June 1978, where at various times she served as church clerk, children's Sunday school teacher and Sunday school secretary.

She is survived by her husband John T. Phillips, sister Barbara Rhodes of Thornton, sister Evie and spouse Butch Nichols of Mexia, brother Joe and spouse Theta Allman of Cabot, daughter Pamela Whiteside of Mansfield, daughter Cindy and spouse Harold “Dino” Lewis, and son Timothy and spouse Kay Phillips of Burleson, grandchildren Amy Whiteside; Brian, Justin, and Jason Barnett; Kimberly and Joey Phillips; great-grandchildren Elizabeth, Caleb and Rachel Paul; Braden, Lyla and Jaclyn Barnett; Grayson and Weston Gaudet, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, her sisters Irene Alves, Mazell Sanders Ethridge, Paralee Tabers Tacker, Opal Allman, and a brother Wallace Allman.

Memorials can also be mailed to 118 Juniper St., Mansfield, Texas 76063 for Sardis Baptist Church in memory of Mary Dee Phillips.