Msgt. Hubert Phillips, Usaf (Ret.)

Hubert Phillips born December 13, 1928 in Columbus, Georgia, the son of Cody Phillips and Amanda Lloyd. In 1947, he joined the Navy, where he served onboard the Destroyer-Minesweeper USS Ouick in the Pacific Theater until 1948. He was recalled to active duty in April 1952 and served on board the USS New Jersey during the Korean War. In 1954, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving for 21 years until his retirement in San Angelo, Texas at rank of MSGT. His highest award was the Bronze Star medal received for service during the Vietnam War. Following his retirement from the Air Force, Hubert entered the civil service ending up as a military historian at Robins Air Force Base until his final retirement.

Hubert married Wilma Ollene Mosley in 1953, raising six children with her while serving in a variety of duty locations. Ollene preceded him in death in 1992.

In the following years, while working with his local Catholic Church, he met Lola Barboe. They married in June 2002, at a Phillips family reunion in Florida.

Surviving to cherish his memory are his wife, Lola Phillips; children, Hubert II, Michael, Charles, Brian, Richard, and Karen; along with seventeen grandchildren, Hubert III, Brian, Teresa, Andrew, Elizabeth, Jeremy, Rebecca, Katherine, Brooke, Meghan, Christopher, Nicholas, Stephen, Johnathan, Scott, Luke, and Joel; as well as his step-son, Charles Barboe.

Not content to sit around after retirement, Hubert began actively volunteering and working within the public school system. He was well known in the Warner Robins area as “Papa Phillips” for his devotion to reading, storytelling, and as a great role-model for numerous generations of children. He also began writing and publishing poetry and fiction, culminating in the publication of his first novel, “The Saga of Black Jim MacCrimmons” and “JoAnna’s Lone Star.”

A child of the Great Depression and World War II, Hubert started with everything stacked against him and finishing having accomplished more than anyone could have expected. Hubert would prefer to be remembered as a gentle spirit who read to children at Matt Arthur Elementary School, as an author and poet, and as someone who believed in and supported the ministry of Saint Patrick’s Parish in Kathleen, Georgia.

A Rosary will begin at 6:00 p.m. Friday, September 14, 2007 with a visitation to follow until 8:00 p.m. at McCullough Funeral Home. Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, September 15, at Saint Patrick Catholic Church in Kathleen, Georgia with interment following in Magnolia Park Cemetery.


Funeral Home:
McCullough Funeral Home
417 S. Houston Lake Rd.
Warner Robins, GA
US 31088