Tribute to Thomas " Buddy " Phillips
This is a note about Dad that I have copied and sent to everyone. He was in the hospital a long time. He went in for a simple operation and ended up having to have both legs amputated. He went in Oct 24th and never came back home.
Please express the Love and Gratitude we have for all of you. Mom never left Daddy's side from Oct 24th until his passing. She will need a lot of continued prayers to get through this they were married for 46 years. Dad's diabetes and heart problems caused him to retire from his nursing job at the hospital at the age of 54. Unknowing to me Mom and Dad had to borrow money against there Life Insurance to help pay past medical bills and pay for prescriptions. I found out his death benefit will only be$2325.00. So any more forms of expression we would ask to be sent to:Milner & Orr Funeral Home
3745 Old US Hwy 45
Paducah, Ky. 42003
A TRIBUTE TO THOMAS " BUDDY " PHILLIPS
Thomas was my father, most folks called him Buddy but we called him Daddy. He passed away on 12 Jan 2007 and is buried in Mt. Kenton Cemetery in Paducah, Ky. My earliest memory of my Dad was when I was about 4 years old.He took me fishing on a creek that was connected to Kentucky Lake.He bought me a brand new cane pole and we were fishing for catfish.Boy did I catch a big one, of course at 4 any fish is a whopper.That fish broke my new cane pole right in half. The top halffell to the edge of the creek and stuck in the mud.Well Dad jumped down to grab it and off it went that fish took my new pole with him.Boy I was disappointed at losing my fish and my pole, but looking back at that day it is one of the most precious memories of Dad and me doing something together.You see growing up I didn't get the opportunity to spend much time with Dad .He was a very hard working man and in order to provide a nice home for his family he had to work two full-time jobs at the Hospital and Nursing Home and for several years he worked those two plus a partime job for the Health Dept.I rarely seen him growing up.He sacrificed his entire adult life so we didn't go without the things we needed. I remember when we would pick him up from work at the hospital he would always bring us kids some packets of jelly he kept in the front pockets of his white uniform. And we went on a few vacations with Dad but he was so tired from working all the time I could tell he didn't feel like doing much. He did take time out one day when I went with him on one of his house calls to give me my very first driving lesson. I was about 14 and boy did that make my day.I can remember the first time I was large enough to wear some of his clothes I really thought I was something.When we did get a few minutes we would look at old coins together he got me started in that hobby when I was about 7.He had a small collection that I always admired and he would take time to show them to mesomething we really enjoyed together.I do miss alot of things we didn't get to do together, but I also understand, as I am quite sure he misses them as well.When you have children you make sacrifices and Dad always made them. He would do without so all of us didn't have to. Dad worked those two jobs everyday for 30 plus years and I never heard him complain, not once. After Dad had both legs amputated he laid in the hospital bed obviously in pain but still no complaints. One of the pastors that visited him said, as he was leaving his room he said, "GOD BLESS YOU BUDDY" and Dad said no " GOD BLESS YOU " just another example of what a charitable spirit he had.Dad has always been a man of few words and he didn't laugh much either.But if you heard him laugh you knew something definitely had to be hilarious.The Three Stooges always made him laugh and we would get to watch them together occasionally.We also so would set up late at night sometimes and watch the Creature Feature on Channel 29.We always tried to make the best of the time we had together. Dad and I always shared a curiosity in researching our Family History something we still have in common.And as I have worked on it over the years I always remember that. He bought a book once when I was about 11 on the Phillips Family and he gave that book to me a few years ago.Needless to say I wouldn't take anything for it . Thanks Daddy for all the memories and all the sacrifices you made for me.With Love Always, Jimmy
Sincerley,
Jimmy Phillips