Helen Louise Phillips died peacefully at the age of 98 the morning of June 30,2025, in Aurora, Colorado. Helen was preceded in death by her husband, Joe Phillips Sr., her parents, Ottoway and Bessie Moody, and her sister, Joan Moore. She is survived by her three children. Her daughters, Jo Ellen Reid (Pat) and Diana Wedgeworth (Randy, deceased), and her son Joe Phillips, Jr. She had three grandchildren, Katie Parr (John), Cassie Crofford, Melissa Wedgeworth(deceased), and seven great-grandchildren. Helen came into this world in Okemah, Oklahoma, on October 8, 1926. She spent most of her life on the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but resided in Aurora, Colorado, near her daughter, Diana, for the past decade. She lived a long life marked by loyalty, determination, and faith. The last book we ever saw her read was the Bible. Her faith surely carried her through life's challenges, especially lovingly caring for her husband, Joe, during the last years of his life. Helen was a career woman and a business owner. She worked for BellSouth as an operator and in several retail stores as a sales associate. After an initiation into to independent business as a Tupperware representative, she owned two businesses. A woman's clothing store and a very successful and laborious take-out restaurant. Her hobbies and interests were varied. She was in a bowling league for many years and was very proud of being close to a score of 200 often. She always liked music, especially singing, and had a lovely voice. In retirement, she began to construct fully furnished doll houses that showed attention to detail, an eye toward interior design, and creative landscape features.
To celebrate Helen's life and the return to her true home, we will gather in the sanctuary of Mississippi City United Methodist, the church she attended, when she lived in Gulfport. Friends and family are invited to pay their respects during the visitation, held on July 20, 2025, starting at 1 PM, at Mississippi City United Methodist Church, 219 Courthouse Road, Gulfport, MS 39507. Funeral service to follow starting at 2 PM. A graveside service will take place on Monday, July 21, 2025, at Floral Hills Cemetery in Gulfport, MS, starting promptly at 10:00 AM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the FOOD PANTRY at Mississippi City United Methodist Church, 219 Courthouse Road, Gulfport, MS 39507.
Riemann Family Funeral Home, Gulfport, is honored to serve the Phillips family.
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