Gerald Lee Phillips

GERALD LEE PHILLIPS was born to Robert Orville and June Marian (Woolcott) Phillips on March 29, 1943 in Minneapolis, Minnesota where he began his education, attending Richfield Elementary School. Because his father was in the military, Gerry’s family moved frequently. He lived in Virginia, Georgia, and Louisiana before moving to Italy where he attended his first two years of high school. His last two years of high school were spent in Germany and Radcliff, Kentucky. He then entered the U.S. Army and continued to serve for the next 20 years. In 1968, he was united in marriage to Mary Lee Lansing in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Following their marriage, Gerry remained in the service and lived in various places including six years in Alaska and a couple of years in Oklahoma. After he retired from the service in 1982, he moved back to St. Cloud where he owned and operated his own computer repair business. In 1996, he moved to Pipestone, Minnesota. Gerry died on Tuesday, March 24, 2015 at the Pipestone County Hospice House in Pipestone, Minnesota. He lived to reach the age of 71 years, 11 months and 26 days.

Gerry was baptized in the Lutheran faith. He was a life-member of the VFW, and he was a member of the American Philatelic Society (stamp collecting). Gerry was a man of many talents, including playing the piano in various bands during his high school days and his time in the service. He enjoyed genealogy and loved to spend time on ancestry.com. He was an avid collector of Legos, and he thoroughly enjoyed the time he spent putting them together with his grandson from his extended family, Kolby.

He is lovingly remembered by his life-partner and companion, Karen Albrecht of Pipestone, Minnesota; three children, Heather Lee Peterson, David Lee Phillips, and Christopher Lee Phillips, all of Pipestone, Minnesota; two granddaughters, Alexandra Rae and Vanessa; his brother, Richard Dennis (Gail) Phillips of Minneapolis, Minnesota; and his extended family which included three children, Michael (Cheryl) Schmoll of Arlington, South Dakota, Sherie (Randy) Otkin of Eden Valley, Minnesota, and Barbara (Al) Thompson of Pipestone, Minnesota; 11 grandchildren; and 21 great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mary Lee Phillips; and one sister, Sandy.