Paul S. Phillips

Paul S. Phillips, 86, of Peoria, IL, passed away at 1:00 pm on Saturday, September 23, 2023, at The Lutheran Home in Peoria.

He was born on April 13, 1937, in Peoria, IL, to Glenn H. and Ressa L. (Hackett) Phillips. He married Ruth A. Satterfield on May 7, 1961 in Peoria, IL.

Surviving are his wife, Ruth of Peoria; son, Steven (Rosa) Phillips of West Palm Beach, FL; daughter, Annette (Mike) Lacey of Hudson, OH; grandchildren, Rosa Ortega, Stephany Ortega, Michael Lacey, Jacob Lacey, Samuel Lacey, and Hannah Lacey. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Donald E. Phillips.

Paul began his professional career at Metamora Woodworks, followed by Rothan Millwork in Peoria. While there he built cabinetry and displays for Hallmark cards. He was employed with Caterpillar for 31 years, working at several factory locations in many different positions.

Paul's biggest passion was his nursing home ministry. While attending Harvard Hills Baptist Church, he began visiting nursing homes around Peoria, preaching and singing gospel songs to the residents. Paul was ordained in the ministry at Trinity Temple in 1975. He continued his nursing home ministry with his wife, Ruth, his two children, Steve and Annette, and several other friends all over the Central Illinois area for over 50 years. He also taught Sunday school for various different churches over the years, and for a period of time during the 70s and 80s, Paul also assisted the senior Pastor at Morton Assembly of God church and was the interim pastor for a short period of time.

Paul loved music, especially gospel and old country songs. He loved to sing, and he played several different instruments, the main ones being guitar and piano. Paul was known to burst into song at any random moment when the idea struck him.

Paul loved to spend time outdoors. He especially loved working in his yard and was very talented with his landscaping. He won neighborhood landscaping awards and always received many compliments on his beautiful yard. He also loved to go on long walks and search for treasures along the way; he never came back empty handed, finding the most unique things along the road.

In later years, Paul loved to work on the computer with Photoshop, creating various animations and sending those animations with inspirational messages in emails to everyone he knew.

Paul never met a person he didn't know. He had a heart for people and loved to hear their stories and share the gospel with everyone he met. He was a practical jokester and loved to joke and tease with anyone, even someone he had just met.

Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, September 29, 2023 at Mason Funeral Home Germantown Hills Chapel in Germantown Hills, IL with Pastor Dustin Reinmann officiating. Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 28, 2023 and also one hour prior to his service on Friday, both at the funeral home. Burial will be in Spring Bay Cemetery in Spring Bay, IL. Following the graveside service, there will be a reception at Michael's Italian Feast in Germantown Hills.  Memorials may be given to a charity of the donor's choice. Online condolences at www.masonfuneralhomes.com.

Charity of the Donor's Choice