John Davies Phillips Jr.

John Davies Phillips Jr., 92 years old, passed away peacefully on November 23, 2024 in Scottsdale, Arizona after a brief illness. He is survived by his son, Robert, daughters Jeanne and Janice, eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

John was born in Jersey City, NJ on January 3rd, 1932 and grew up in Detroit, Michigan. His early years were marked by a passion for music, and he briefly considered a career as a musician before he made the decision to pursue a career in Medicine. He attended the College of Medicine at Wayne State University in Detroit, during which time he married Barbara Anderson, his childhood sweetheart and sister of his best friend. They soon had the first of the four children, son Robert. This would be followed by two daughters (Jeanne and Janice) and second son Thomas.

In the Air Force, he served as an Obstetrician/Gynecologist in Las Vegas. He trained at facilities in Toledo, Ohio, Las Vegas, Nevada, and Buffalo, New York. At the conclusion of his training, he and his growing family relocated to their new family home in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Dr. Phillips became a busy obstetrician in Las Cruces, served on the governing board of Memorial Medical Center and yet found time to spend time with his four children. He served as a band parent and swim team meet director for his busy young family. With his wife, he explored the seven continents. He and Barbara developed a keen interest in native arts, particularly pottery, and worked as judges in art shows in New Mexico. In his spare time, John renewed his passion for music by joining a choir in Las Cruces as well as a barbershop quartet.

Upon his retirement, John and Barbara continued their travels and spent time with their children and their growing number of grandchildren in Arizona and California. After Barbara’s death from leukemia, John still traveled, including trips to Turkey, Germany, and Japan though many of his forays were to see his children and grandchildren, now spread across the country.

In 2022 John left Las Cruces and moved to Phoenix, Arizona to be closer to his family.

John liked to refer to himself as “Lucky John”. He felt that he had been extremely fortunate to have a wonderful wife and family, a truly rewarding career, and great friends to see him through life’s challenges.

John is survived by his son, Robert (wife Ruth) of Glendale, Arizona and daughters Jeanne Campbell (husband Alan) of Mission Viejo, California and Janice Piatt (husband Keith) of Scottsdale, Arizona, eight grandchildren: Tom (Brooke), Scott (Sarah) and Rob (Salina) Phillips, Katelyn and Sara Campbell, Michael, Jennifer and Kara Piatt and five great-grandchildren: Penelope, Olive, Miles, Blake and Theodore.

Services will be held at 10 am on Friday, December 13, 2024 at Getz Funeral Home in Las Cruces followed by internment at Hillcrest Memorial Gardens where he will be buried next to his wife and son. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Thomas Phillips Memorial Endowed Scholarship at NMSU.