Jack D. Phillips, 93, died peacefully at his home in Springfield, Mass., on Monday, Nov. 8, 2021, surrounded by his loving family.
Born in Angel Hospital in Franklin, N.C., on Oct. 27, 1928, he was the eldest of four children of John Dillard and Erma Phillips. His brothers, Max and Gene, predeceased him.
He is survived by his wife, Mary Teresa (Lusczc) Phillips; his younger sister, Joan Orr; his children Sheila Somers (John), Marjorie Rudolph (Richard), Mark D. Phillips (Andrea Peyser), Natalie Siemaszko (Corky), and Jacqueline Bishop (Steve); 10 grandchildren, eight great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
In a career spanning seven decades, he was a teacher, principal, director of education and driving school owner, and instructor who helped shape the minds and abilities of countless young people from Massachusetts to North Carolina and Virginia.
A longtime resident of Springfield, Mass., he was the owner of Park Auto before retiring.
He was an educator his entire adult life, working in public education in Massachusetts and Virginia, and Tri-County Tech in Brasstown, N.C.
He was director of education at the N.C. Western Correctional Center for Youth in Morganton, N.C., and was elected to the Burke County School Board.
His very first teacher was his mother, Erma, in a one-room schoolhouse in Tapoco, N.C. He graduated from Robbinsville High School in 1945, before joining the U.S. Air Force and spending three years in Japan during the Korean War.
Just before his discharge, he was sent to Westover Air Force Base in Chicopee, Mass., where he met, fell in love with and married his wife, Mary, 69 years ago.
He earned a Bachelors in Education from American International College in 1958, a Masters in Education from UMASS-Amherst in 1962, and an Education Specialist Degree at Western Carolina University. He participated in Doctoral programs at Duke University and UMASS-Amherst.
Internment followed a Committal Service with Military Honors at the Massachusetts Veterans’ Memorial.