William T. Phillips Jr.

1955 - 2019

William (Billy) T. Phillips Jr.
William T. Phillips Jr. (Billy) long term resident of St. Augustine, passed away Thursday, June 20, 2019 at Flagler Hospital. He was born in Long Beach, CA in 1955. Originally from Tampa, he moved to Jacksonville in 1963. He was a 1973 graduate of The Bolles School. After graduation, Billy attended Auburn University. His Auburn roommate, Jay, was one of his best friends among many. Pretty sure Jay, his local friend Lisa (rum and coke in hand) and the first canine "love of his life" Hilde were standing at the Pearly Gates when he passed saying "what took you so long? Let's party"! Billy was born into a "hardware" family from Tampa, beginning with I.W. Phillips & Co. He worked with the Hillman Group as a sales rep for over 30 years. Throughout his years of calling on accounts in Florida and Georgia, he made enduring friendships with a number of those customers, many kept in touch throughout his illness. While he had many co-workers that he considered great friends, his Spanish brother from another mother, Miguel, along with Mack and Buddy were some of his closest. Billy was an avid angler. Early on he shared his love of fishing with his young son, William, and his dad — later accumulating a growing, and generally raggedy-ass, group of fishing buddies. He fished Alaska several times, loved fishing the ledges 40 miles off the coast of St. Augustine, as well as any hidden creek or golf course pond he could sneak on to. Over the last several years, he enjoyed "wetting a hook" over on Dunn's Creek in Putnam County. However, his favorite place was fishing off a wooden dock on Fort Pierce Inlet in pursuit of Snook. Billy sometimes went to Fort Pierce during the "off" season when it was "catch and release" but he was known to run to his room hiding a fish because his theory was to "catch and fillet." He hated coming home with no fish, legal or not. Billy was a history buff with an interest in Indian artifacts — especially those from Florida. But anything "Florida" was in his sphere of interest. He was beachcomber, with a sharp eye for finding sharks teeth and prehistoric fossils. He had a keen interest in Flagler-era St. Augustine collectibles. Billy's driveway was the largest outdoor pub in the county, with neither a liquor license nor occupancy certificate. His neighbors will always remember him for that — one way or another. He was a cook of some acclaim, and often held services for the driveway congregation surrounding his Big Green Egg smoker. It was a birthday gift from his friends from what was originally known as Vince's Sports Grill — his non-deductible charity of choice for some time. As much as he loved people and they loved him back, it was a herd of Welsh Corgis, a mini-panther called Jim, the feline love of his life, OBE (Old Blue Eyes) a solid white diva with blue eyes who wears a pink collar who brought him much joy over these last years. OBE stayed, almost non-stop, by her "Dad's" side. She loved him and he loved her. The remaining 4 legged fur children include Duchess, Sir Augustine (Augie) and Beau (OBE's brother) They all loved him and will miss him terribly. Billy made friends wherever he went, and all of them stuck. He attracted them like moths to a two-mantle Coleman lantern. His light was bright. He never met a stray he wouldn't take in — some four-legged, some just two. Bill is survived by his dad, William T. Phillips Sr., his son William T. Phillips III, his granddaughter Aubrey, brother Jeffrey (Jan), sister Margaret Folds (Jim), Uncle Kenny, Ken Ezell (Marilee) and his partner/female fishing buddy of many years, Ann Alexander, along with a host of friends and followers— heartbroken, all.
A Celebration of Life will be held later this summer at the Riverview Club when the haze of hurt begins to lift.