Shirley J. Phillips
4/16/1943 – 8/24/26
OBITUARY
In loving memory of Shirley J. Phillips
On the bright summer morning of August 24, 2026, our beloved mother, Shirley Jean Phillips, passed from this earth. In peaceful sleep, she began her trip home. Five months earlier, on April 16th she had celebrated her eighty third birthday in Tennessee. Her willpower and gratitude had remained strong, despite the many physical challenges that she faced every day in the last few years of her life. Dialysis, pain, ailments of the heart, kidney and bones – her body withstood great suffering. Yet the proof of her faith was visible in her luminesce spirit, her smile and the love that she shined upon all of those who knew her.
Shirley was born in Okemah, Oklahoma in 1943, to parents Grant Leroy Neeley and Essie Geneva Fisher. She was preceded in death by her two young sisters, Marjorie, known as “Margie” and Susan Neeley. Her uncle Jimmy Fisher and she were close in age and raised together. “Jimmy was like a brother to me” she would often remark. These loved ones, she kept alive in her heart, throughout her days.
In 1960, she married Murel Dean Phillips in Linden, California. The two met in church and both attended Linden High School. Murel, was born in Arkansas and Shirley was born in Oklahoma. They would come to raise a family in Stockton, California. Their sons, Grant-Lee Phillips, being born in 1963 and Gary Dean Phillips in 1971. Murel and Shirley celebrated 53 years of marriage, before Murel’s passing on November 11, 2013. In their years together, they enjoyed family trips, camping, fishing and large family gatherings that very often spanned multiple generations.
Their family tree would grow with the arrival of three beautiful granddaughters. Gary and his wife Stephanie Phillips would welcome Gabriella Phillips and Grace Phillips. She would proudly live to see the marriage of Grace and Jackson Wiesner and the partnership of Gabriella and Teva Dagai. Grant-Lee and his wife Denise Siegel-Phillips would welcome Violet Phillips, Shirley’s youngest granddaughter. Shirley became “Granny” – remembering her own grandmothers and the role that they had played in her upbringing.
Along with Shirley’s love of family, cooking, hosting get-togethers, especially around the holidays, she was a gifted floral designer, working at floral shops in Stockton and independently with Shirley J. Phillips Floral Design. She had an artist eye and a desire to bring beauty into the world. The skillful work of her hands, the flowers she so thoughtfully gathered, was an expression of her creativity. A part of Shirley was there, in the flowers, as wedding vows were spoken, at the bedside of the suffering and at those most solemn passages, to comfort the grieving.
Like her mother, Essie, Shirley was blessed with an incredible singing voice. Her love of music may have been sparked in the church. Singing and prayer were deeply intertwined in her life. When arriving in Nashville, she joined the Christ Church Choir. It was the realization of a dream. With the choir, she recorded a gospel album at Ocean Way Studios in Nashville. She also went on tour with the choir to perform in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. When it became difficult for her to stand for a long period or climb stairs she joined smaller groups for Sunday services, where she forged lasting friendships. She also loved Patsy Cline and Dolly Parton who passed but a day after her. Shirley’s Karaoke performance of “Crazy” absolutely captivated the room, one night in Nolensville, Tennessee. Shirley was an enrolled citizen of the Muskogee (Creek) Nation. Her mother Essie, along with her Aunt Janelle King and Grandmother Susana Little-Fisher instilled a respect for her Native American heritage. To live a life of honor and to see the hand of the creator in all things. These were the guiding principles of her life.
We ask that you keep our dear mother, Shirley, in your heart. Remember the love and the joy that she has given us all. From her beginnings in Okemah, Oklahoma, Hutchison, Kansas, Stockton, CA to her final years in Nolensville, TN, she touched many a life. Remember Shirley, as we always will. Her joyous smile, her kindness, her melodious voice and her spirit.
SERVICE
Services to be held at Cherokee Park and Funeral Home in the Evergreen Chapel, 14165 Beckman Rd, Lodi, CA 95240, on Saturday, September 12, 2026 at 11:00 a.m
Cherokee Memorial is honored to serve the Phillips family.
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