Doris Godinez-Phillips

Doris Godinez-Phillips Age 64, passed away December 28, 2010, after battling mesothelioma for nearly nine months. One of her greatest joys was spending time with her family - three children and seven grandchildren - and extended family and friends including women whom she has been very close to for three or more decades. Doris was preceded in death by her parents, Dolores Bolaos and Felipe Godinez, and by two brothers, Felipe and Luis all of Mexico City. She is survived by her loving husband, Veril Phillips of San Mateo; her loving sister, Maritza Godinez de Rodriguez of Mexico City; loving children Raul Alarcn of Millbrae, CA, Yadira Taylor of San Francisco, CA, and (step-daughter) RoiAnn Phillips of Oak Park, IL; and seven wonderful grandchildren, Rick Betita, Grace Fondow, Ryan Betita, Bodhi Alarcn, Zoe Alarcn, Eva Phillips-Fondow, and Xol Safai. Born in Mexico City in 1946, Doris immigrated to San Francisco in 1966, where she soon began work as a community organizer focusing on housing and job development through her employment with the Economic Opportunity Council, Southwest Council of La Raza, the Mission Language and Vocational School, and the Mission Housing Development Corporation. After earning a B.A. degree in Political Science at San Francisco State University in 1978, she earned a J.D. from Boalt Hall School of Law in 1982. During her last year of law school she clerked for the California Supreme Court. As a practicing attorney she worked as a staff attorney for the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, served a few years as corporate counsel in the private sector, and then joined the Law Department of the U.S. Postal Service in 1987, where she remained until her retirement. From 1999 to 2006, she was Managing Counsel for the Southwest Region. During her twenty years in the USPS Law Department, she mentored numerous individuals and won several awards, including the Dot Sharp Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 and the "Women Putting Their Stamp on the Postal Service" in 2004. After returning to the Bay Area in 2006 and retiring in 2007, she was active in politics and provided leadership for social justice programs in the Congregational Church of San Mateo. A memorial service for her will take place on Friday, January 14, 2011, at 2 pm, at the Congregational Church of San Mateo (CCSM), 225 Tilton Ave., San Mateo, CA. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Godinez-Phillips Social Justice Fund, payable to "CCSM".