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Obituary
Phillips, Alton Burt ,89, of Tampa, passed away October 28th, joining Mary, his bride of 61 years. He was born August 31, 1927 in New Orleans. He graduated from Mississippi Southern College in 1950 after serving in the Navy in WW2. He worked at City Service and Super Test Oil before founding Southeast Oil and Development. He was also a founding director of Citrus Park Bank, a founding member of the Tower Club and Avila G&CC. He was a member and vestryman at St. Clements Episcopal Church for 56 years. He is survived by son John, daughter-in-law Elyssa, and granddaughters Sarah and Veronica. A service will be held at St. Clements on Friday, December 2nd at 10:30am.
A message from John:
Burt joined his beloved Mary in Heaven on October 28th. For those of you previously following his journey, thank you for lifting him up in prayer; his passing was peaceful.
Mom passed away on August 2nd of this year, and we had her services mid-August. We took dad to North Carolina on August 31st. After a fantastic and beautiful Labor Day celebration, he returned to Tampa. I think he decided that the memorial service for mom on the deck of the mountain house, followed by the annual "Burt Day" party to celebrate his 89th, was a perfect way to remember his time with us... icing on the cake, as it were. Since coming back to his empty apartment he declined rapidly. At the end of September he went to hospital, then rehab, then hospital. He was malnourished, dehydrated, lonely, and he picked up an infection along the way which contributed to confusion as well. He went to hospice on Wednesday, where he relaxed until it was time to go. While shocking on one level, it is in truth the final few pages of his love story with my mom. After her death, he spent a few weeks with us in Florida and on Crystal Mountain, then he decided he was ready to be with her. Who could begrudge him that?
We come into the world silent, then we breathe and cry. When it is time to die we put up a fight and then the crying stops, the breathing subsides and we return to silence. There must come a breath after which another does not follow. The elegance of the design is wondrous, and we need to honor both ends of this spectrum. Our parents helped us through one door, and it is vital that we help them through the other. Thank you mom and dad for teaching me this.
LifePath Hospice made my parents' passage a dignified and peaceful experience, and my family thanks them sincerely. Anyone wishing to make donations please make them to "Lifepath Hospice" and write "in memory of Burt Phillips" in the memo. You can mail to the following address, or donate online at www.chaptershealth.org:
LifePath Hospice, Development Dept.
12470 Telecom Drive, Suite 300
Temple Terrace, FL33637
Services
Memorial Service
St Clements Episcopal Church
Starts at 10:30 am
Alton Burt Phillips's Guestbook
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