Shirley Jane Phillips

CHESHIRE – Shirley Jane (Newcomb) Phillips, 95, passed away peacefully at her home in Cheshire, Connecticut on Thursday, January 6, 2022. She was the wife of the late Milton A. Phillips.

Mrs. Phillips was born on August 10, 1926, in Haverhill, MA., daughter of the late Roland K. and Mary Livona (Woodbury) Newcomb. She attended Albion College and graduated from Boston University with a major in Communications, taking her first job as Program Director at the Pawtucket YWCA, during which time she met her future husband Milton while playing tennis. Having moved to Houston, Texas, Stamford, Connecticut, Port Chester, New York and Tulsa, Oklahoma with her husband, she was an active member of her churches, the American Red Cross Tulsa Chapter where she served as the Chairman of the Volunteers, and the Tulsa Opera Guild, among many other organizations. She eventually retired from Liberty Mutual Insurance where she worked as an administrative assistant.

Shirley loved visiting family members and friends around the United States and enjoyed attending concerts and sporting events, gardening, traveling around the world, playing tennis and golf, swimming, reading, playing games and singing in her college and church choirs.

Mrs. Phillips was a devoted mother and grandmother to her son, Craig Phillips, and his wife, Marguerite, of Milford, N.H., and her daughters, Linda Lawson, and her husband, Russell, of Broken Arrow, OK, and Joy Bonitz, and her husband, Robert, of Cheshire, CT. She will also be missed by her grandchildren Thomas, Hannah, Lindsey, Riley, David, Benjamin, Andrew, and Colin and her great grandchildren, Edwin, Ignatius, Crosley, and Henrietta. In addition to her husband, Mrs. Phillips was predeceased by her brother Robert Newcomb.

Arrangements – A graveside service will be held on Friday, January 14, 2022, at 1:00 P.M., at Oak Grove Cemetery, Pawtucket, R.I. A memorial service to celebrate Shirley’s life will be held at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church, Cheshire, Connecticut in the spring. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions, in Shirley’s name, may be made to Disabled American Veterans or the Episcopal Relief and Development Fund. For online condolences, to share a photo or a story, please visit www.fordfh.com.