Phillip L. McLaurin

1940 - 2020

Phillip L. McLaurin
May 18, 1940 - December 29, 2020
Belleville, Illinois - Phillip McLaurin was born May 18, 1940 and raised by his devoted parents, the late Mr. & Mrs. D.D. McLaurin of the Browning Community. His parents made several sacrifices in raising him and always provided him with the guidance necessary to become successful in life; without their tender love and care, he would have become a "bomb" on the street. They also deserve the credit of him becoming a member of Turner Chapel A.M.E. Church in Greenwood, Mississippi at an early age where he maintained membership until his death on December 29, 2020 in Belleville, Illinois.
Phillip acquired his elementary education from Browning Vocational School and enrolled in Broad Street High School in 1954 and graduated in 1958. He later attended Mississippi Valley State University for one year and entered the United States Air Force as an enlisted member where he served for over eleven years. He met his wife Dorothy at Mississippi Valley State, and they were married in September 1967. They welcomed their first child, Phillip Alonzo in December 1969. In 1971, Phillip was assigned to Mississippi Valley's AFROTC Detachment as a Staff Sergeant. He took advantage of this opportunity and completed his degree after taking courses from both University of Maryland and Tuskegee Institute. He gained his degree in conjunction with performing his military duties and upon finishing was accepted into the Air Force Officer Training School at Lackland Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. He completed his training in September 1974 and received commission as Second Lieutenant. In June 1977, he and Dorothy welcomed their second child, Malissa Anjohnette. He received numerous assignments over the years and retired 19 years later in 1993 from Scott Air Force Base, Illinois as a Lieutenant Colonel. Upon his retirement, he began a second career in the criminal justice system where he held management positions as Commissioner of Corrections, St. Louis, Missouri; Warden and Assistant Warden for Corrections Corporation of America, Nashville, Tennessee; and Jail Superintendent for St. Clair County Sheriffs Department, Belleville, Illinois. In addition, Phillip also graduated from numerous military professional schools and received his Masters Degree from Troy State University in Criminal Justice, Montgomery, Alabama.
He always gave his wife, Dorothy, credit for his military success because she always played an extremely important role as a Military Officer's Wife and also excelled as wife and mother in their home. He could not have married a better person than Dorothy, and his parents felt the same. Phillip will be buried alongside his wife in Greenwood, Mississippi.
Phillip is preceded in death by his parents Mr. & Mrs. D.D. McLaurin, his wife Dorothy, his brother Chris Bradford, and biological mother Ruby Bradford. He leaves to cherish his memory, one son, Phillip A. McLaurin; daughter, Malissa (John) Luckett; grandson, Phillip A. McLaurin, Jr.; granddaughter, Dorothy Virginia Luckett; great-granddaughter, Raiin McLaurin; sister, Veronica Evans; two brother-in-laws, Lloyd (Ruby) Smith and Dwayne Kyles; two sister-in-laws, Barbara (Rudolph) Pennington and Hermanell Smith; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Phillip did not have many hobbies but he had a love of Mercedes Benz cars, watching sports and working in funeral homes.
Visitation is Saturday, January 9, 2021 from 3-5 PM at Century Funeral Home located in Greenwood, Mississippi.
Funeral service will be held for family only at Hudson Park Cemetery, Greenwood, Mississippi.