a day ago
John H. Phillips
John H. Phillips, 83, passed away peacefully, with family at his side in Duke Raleigh Hospital, Friday, June 20, 2025, following a brief illness. He was born March 21, 1942, in Buckhannon, a son of the late General Scott and Elizabeth addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by the love of his life, Judy Phillips, who passed away July 13, 2024 (and oh how he missed his 'sweetie'); siblings, Edgar, Oley and Gladys; his mother and father-in-law, Virgil and Helen Whetzel; and his brother-in-law, Virgil Whetzel, memory will be cherished and kept alive by his loving children: Scott (Becky), Elaine Riffle (Chris), and his fuzzy little 'favorite daughter,' Idgie; his devoted brother, Journal Phillips (Edie); his brother-in-law, Dave Whetzel (Jo); his sister-in-law, Linda; and his treasured grandchildren, Meghann Savasta (Thomas), Logan Chapman (Emily), Tanika Riffle, and Brooklyn Riffle (Joey); along with his precious great- grandchildren, Silas, Brynlee, Adalynne, Emersyn, Elliana, Paxton and Jansler; and numerous beloved nieces and loved his family immensely and always looked forward to spending time with them. There were always family gatherings for holidays and birthdays (including his annual t-bone steak and homemade strawberry shortcake birthday dinner); long visits with his brother and his kids; sled riding/tubing during butchering season at the farm; annual trips to the beach; and fishing with his father-in-law and brothers-in-law at the Shenandoah River, where he was affectionately nicknamed 'Shenandoah Sam,' a name that stuck more often than not; his close family referred to him as 'Sam,' instead of 'John.' He also rarely turned down a chance to watch a good John Wayne Western worked 30+ years for the Morgantown Water Company, which later became the Morgantown Utility Board (MUB), where he worked his way up from a manual laborer to the role of distribution also could be found on evenings and weekends devotedly working the family served two years in the U.S. Army, where he was a sharpshooter. He regaled his family with stories that showed his fun personality-such as a story of war games in the desert, where his unit 'commandeered' a gasoline truck, and another of how he and several other soldiers drove through a watermelon patch and helped themselves to some after they were specifically told not to. Then, when things turned more serious, he told of himself and his fellow soldiers loading all of their gear onto a train and getting ready to be shipped out during the Cuban Missile always had a dog and/or a cat that he loved; he gave faithfully to the ASPCA. In honoring John's love of animals, the family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to a favorite animal rescue or and family gathered in McCulla Funeral Home from 5 to 7 p.m. Tuesday, June 24. Visitation continues in the funeral home Wednesday, June 25, from 10 until the 11 a.m. funeral service, with the Rev. Kevin Cain officiating. Entombment will follow at Beverly Hills Mausoleum.
Condolences may be sent to the family at
