Obituaries

Patricia (Pat) Phillips resident of the Willows in Sherman died early Sunday January 6th 2013 at Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ Hospital after a sudden illness. She was 90 years old. According to Pat"¢s wishes she will be cremated and buried next to her husband at Akers Cemetery in Sherman. A memorial service will be held at Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church on Saturday January 12th 2013 at 3:00 p.m. with Rev. Lander Bethel of the church officiating. Pat was born on May 29 1922 in Toledo Ohio the daughter of Charles Leroy Northridge and Anna Lundberg Northridge. Her family moved to Massachusetts when she was young and she attended public schools in Worcester and Revere. After graduating from Revere High School she attended Forsyth Dental School in Boston and became a dental hygienist in that city. Among her patients while working in Boston in the 1940"¢s were the soon-to-be famous Kennedy brothers: John Robert and Teddy. It was also in Boston that Pat met Edward Hake Phillips whom she married on September 2 1950 in Boston"¢s Old South Church. They moved to Houston Texas where Pat worked for the Houston Independent School District as a dental hygienist who schooled children throughout the district on proper dental care. After moving to Sherman in 1959 Pat became active in the Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church where she served many volunteer roles over the next 53 years including Sunday school teacher Pastor Search committee member and member of the Session. Pat was president of the Crutchfield Elementary School campaigns that eventually passed a bond election for the construction of Sherman High School"¢s then new building on the eastern edge of the city. She was also among the original leadership of the Sherman League of Women Voters and was active in Austin College"¢s Campus Club serving as its president for several years. An avid nature lover Pat was instrumental in the founding of the Texoma Outdoor Club and the Texoma Parks & Trails Alliance and loved hiking throughout the greater Texoma region as well as traveling throughout the country. In 2010 she fulfilled a lifelong dream of seeing Alaska"¢s Mount McKinley and she spent many summers at her family"¢s cabin on a pond in the woods of Andover MA. After her children reached high school age Pat returned to being a dental hygienist and worked for Dr. Morgan in Sherman and Dr. Sullivan in Whitewright. Despite developing arthritis in her hands she continued to work part-time for Dr. Sullivan until she was 80 years old. When she was in her 50"¢s Pat decided to pursue a college education and received an AA from Grayson College and a bachelor of social work from Texas Women"¢s University. She used the latter degree when she served as an ombudsman for local nursing homes in the 1980"¢s. Pat was preceded in death by her husband Edward on August 15 2009 and her brother William Northridge of Florham Park NJ and sister Shirley Northridge Hill of Darien CT. She is survived by her son Peter Phillips of Leonard son and daughter-in-law Jeffrey and Mary Phillips of Huntersville NC three grandchildren Rebecca Jacob and Abigail Phillips all of Huntersville NC her sister and brother-in-law Nancy and Farland Fansher of Newtown CT and her sister-in-law Marie Northridge of Florham Park NJ. If desired memorial gifts may be made to the Grayson College Foundation Texoma Parks & Trails Alliance or the Grand Avenue Presbyterian Church. For condolences please sign the online guestbook at www.dannelfuneralhome.com