Jeffrey Abend Phillips

1971 - 2024

Jeffrey Abend Phillips was born June 29, 1971, to Howard and Randi Phillips in Blackfoot, Idaho. On November 16, 2024, Jeff completed a life defined by compassion, loyalty, and love. He was cherished and adored by his family and friends.

Jeff was the second of three sons; his brothers Scott and David were his lifelong friends. Many friendships he forged while growing up in Blackfoot would also last for decades. He loved his parents, and also kept an exceptionally close relationship with his maternal grandparents, Harold and Eileen Abend. His grandfather inspired his passions for airplanes and boats, his instincts for mechanics and engineering, and his unending love for animals of all kinds.

He graduated from Blackfoot High School in 1990, but Jeff was more eager to share his pride in having attended Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama - a journey he made solo when he was just 12 years old. After high school, he enrolled at the University of Utah, where he had an open invitation for childhood friends to crash in his dorm - often on an extended basis. While in Utah, he would, occasionally, scalp Utah Jazz tickets to finance extracurricular activities, which we will just call "skiing."

Jeff met Heidi Jo Hutchens in high school - he from Blackfoot and she from Rigby - and the two were married in 1997. After a very happy wedding, the newlyweds soon began a journey that sent them far from home.

Jeff was tasked with planning, and managing a potato processing operation in O'Neill, Nebraska, which would be known as Nonpareil RDO. From learning AutoCAD to design the facility, to leaving his family behind to move across the country, to actually running the plant, Jeff took on his challenge with courage and skill. He and Heidi would live in Nebraska for the next fifteen years.

In 2005, Jeff and Heidi became parents to twin girls, Emma Lola and Ella Lily. Jeff committed fully to his new role as a "girl dad," and shared with the girls unflinching support and unconditional love. The family moved to Victor, Idaho, in 2013, where they remained for the remainder of Jeff's life.

His daughters occupied the center of his universe, and he was tickled to chauffeur them to all their events and activities. Whether it be stops at every bookshop, or extended drives to ski comps, he was fully devoted to their interests and lived to see them succeed.

He was always happy on the water, and he spent countless days swimming, waterskiing, and fishing in bodies of all sizes, from the open sea of the Pacific Northwest to the canal on Groveland Road. He had a special affinity for the Oregon Coast, and would walk for unknown miles, scouring the beach for treasures. His family kept a collection of his eclectic discoveries, which they will cherish ever more in his absence.

Jeff was a meticulous caretaker, imbuing in his girls a pride in their belongings. He was a cleaner, a polisher. He tinkered to no end, ever-insistent that he could solve everything - that no mechanical trouble was beyond his fixing. He saved everything, just in case it would someday come in handy. It must be mentioned that he was a prodigious, world-class gift wrapper.

He was generous and eagle-eyed in his care for others. He mowed his neighbors' lawns and cleared their snow. He never, ever failed to stop when he saw someone facing trouble on the side of a road. His demeanor was soft, but his heart was thunderous.

He found tranquility riding motorcycles on the open road, never more so than when he would ride the Harley-Davidson which belonged to his brother, Scott.

In the last few months of Jeff's life, he and Heidi were able to see their daughters off to college. Jeff took deep, profound pride in seeing their successful first steps into adulthood.

Jeff's life was built around relationships, the bonds he held for years, even decades. He had so much love for his friends, his wife, his daugters, his pets, his parents, his brothers, and everyone else he knew - all of whom will miss him dearly.

Jeff was loyal and true to the very end. He was such an easy guy to love.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Heidi; his daughters, Emma and Ella; his brother, David; and his mother, Randi. He is preceded in death by his father, Howard; and his brother, Scott.

A celebration of life will be held at a date to be determined. Condolences may be sent to the family at hawkerfuneralhome.com

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:

PAWS Animal Shelter

15 South 1750 East

Driggs, ID 83422

www.pawshelpspets.org/donate

Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition

PO Box 5626

Coos Bay, OR 97420

Oregonshores.org/donate

Or a charity of your choice