Wava N. Phillips

Wava Nora Phillips, born September 10, 1918 in Glen Richey, PA, went to her eternal reward on July 1, 2017.

The youngest and last survivor of nine dearly loved siblings, Miss Phillips was predeceased by her beloved mother, Viola Gertrude Evans Miller Phillips, and her father, David Daniel Phillips.

The revered aunt of numerous nieces, nephews, great and great-great nieces and nephews, Miss Phillips left the Washington, D.C. area to spend the last seventeen years of her life as a resident of Londonderry Village, the former Lebanon Valley Brethren Home, in Palmyra, PA, where she was included in the life of her niece Judith Duquette Maish.  While residing at Londonderry Village, Miss Phillips lived in her own apartment and worked as the Village's librarian until she was 96.  A bona fide member of Tom Brokow's Greatest Generation, in 1942 Miss Phillips answered President Franklin Roosevelt's call to come to Washington, D.C. to serve her country.  Leaving the rural hills of central Pennsylvania, Miss Phillips, age 23, set off with three friends, no place to stay, and only an address to which the four reported to be assigned jobs.  Miss Phillips was assigned to the War Department, which later became the Department of the Army, where she worked as a researcher of records for the next seventeen years before transferring to another department.  She remembered encountering then-General Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1944 while she was researching records for the War Department.

Always a devout Christian, Miss Phillips' heart had room for everyone she met; as she often told her nieces and nephews, "We are all brothers and sisters under the skin."  More than anything, she wished to be remembered as a friend to everyone.

A funeral service will be held 4:00 PM Saturday, July 8, 2017 at the DiMatteo Worship Center of Londonderry Village preceded by a visitation beginning at 3:00 PM.  Private interment will be in Hillcrest Cemetery, Clearfield, PA.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Good Samaritan Fund of Londonderry Village, 1200 Grubb Road, Palmyra, PA 17078.

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