Stephanie Evelyn Phillips

She was born Stephanie Evelyn Jones on 11-25-34 to Alfred and Evelyn Jones of Orange CA. She would pass away unexpectedly on 09-26-25 at 90 years of age under her married name, Stephanie Phillips, 250 miles north of her birthplace in Fresno CA. She was a veteran of life’s harsh physical afflictions, her body physically debilitated. But she never quit. Wise beyond her advanced years, she leaned into the headwinds of her age and never quit walking, literally. She loved early morning walks with her constant companion, Lucy, an aging chihuahua mix dog, who’d been with her for many years. But she moved slowly on legs that felt like wood, legs that once carried her swiftly up and down the basketball court and around the base paths when she played ASA women’s softball in her youth in Orange.

Above all she possessed a deep, unfailing and abiding love for her 3 boys, a love so deep that it seared her soul, a love that only a mother can possess and appreciate for her children. That unconditional, maternal love blossomed as a result of her marriage to Douglas Phillips whom she met while working as a lifeguard at the Orange “Plunge” pool in Hart Park. They were married in 1955, settled in Orange and started a growing family. They attended and were active at Immanuel Lutheran church, and Stephanie also worked at the Bank of America located near Plaza Park in Orange.

In 1964, now with 3 children, a job opportunity lead the family from Orange to Visalia CA. Following their divorce in 1971, she moved to the nearby town of Exeter CA with her 3 young sons. She took a job at Sequoia Creamery in Lindsay and from there a job in medical billing with the Exeter Memorial Hospital where she would retire after 25 years in 1998. While she lived in Exeter she attended and was active at Trinity Lutheran Church.

In those later years she loved to swim, do water aerobics, reading, and working on puzzles. She always tried to connect with friends and acquaintances, visiting as she could. She was a resident of Fair Winds independent living of Fresno. Stephanie is survived by her 3 sons, Scott (Lynne), Mark (Gloria), and David (Betty) Phillips as well as her beautiful 7 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

A Celebration of Life will be held on October 25, 2025, at 11:00 am at Whitehurst Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home, located at 836 E. Nees Ave., Fresno, CA 93720.