Born September 13, 1934, Marjorie Etta (Hemstock) Phillips was raised in western South Dakota farm country along with her siblings Jean, Donald, and Barbara.
She was the daughter of Donald and Agatha Peggy Rapp) Hemstock, whom she admired for their good humor, gentle nature, strength of heart, patriotism, and tremendous faith and who instilled all their children with those same traits.
She adored the telling and re-telling of the family stories, and one she recalled when people had been surprised to learn she is a Marine Corps veteran:
As teenagers often do, she wanted to leave her hometown to see the world and decided to join the Air Force, likely familiar with the Ellsworth air base located nearby. She tells the story that when she went to the recruiting office, she was greeted by a young Marine, and asked him where the Air Force recruiter might be. The Marine said to her Oh, no ma am, you don t want the Air Force ... Soon thereafter she was off to boot camp at Quantico, VA. And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
She loved the countryside, especially the wide-open spaces of western prairies and the Arizona desert, which when she first arrived, she recalled it just felt like home. It was there she met her then-husband Robert and had four children, Patrick, Michael, William, and Denice.
Marjorie s greatest devotion has always been her love of family and home. Eager to celebrate our joys with us or to console and encourage us in life s difficulties, she called herself a Pollyanna always the optimist, and seeing the silver lining in every cloud. She prayed faithfully for all good things to come.
The Lord called her home July 3, 2022 in Alliance, Nebraska.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Donald and Peggy, and her sister, Barbara (Hemstock) Widmer. Perhaps the most sorrowful loss of her life was when her son, William Phillips, died unexpectedly at the age of 27. Even in her deepest grief, she showed amazing courage and faith.
By her example, she taught us how to live in and then to leave this world in grace and beauty, and left us with the stories she cherished, her humor, and her never-ending love for all of us.
In addition to very dear in-laws and numerous nieces and nephews, she is survived by her brother, Donald (Donna) Hemstock; sister, Jean Furulie; children, Patrick (Pamela) Phillips, Michael (Margaret) Phillips, and Denice Phillips; grandchildren, Brett (Megan) Phillips; Brittany Salguero; Chantel (Adam) Seager; Katherine Aby (Daniel Conde); Cheryl (Kyle) Paulk; Heidi Taylor, Kelly (Owen) Jones; Luke (Kendra) Taylor; Charles (Tanya) Russell; and great-grandchildren Paige, Owen, Ivy, Ryleigh, Marley, Emberly, Zoe, Emma, and James-Blade.
Funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, July 13, 2022 at Kirk Funeral Home with visitation beginning at 10. Interment will follow at Mt. View Cemetery. Reception will be at 1 p.m. at First Wesleyan Church.
Friends and family are welcome to sign the online guestbook.