Mary Elizabeth Phillips

Mary Elizabeth (McKenzie) Phillips of League City, Texas, ascended to her Father and Savior in the evening of Thursday, January 8, 2026. Her love of family and friends, steadfast faith, reassuring nature, and sharp wit will be remembered always.

Mary is survived by sons James William Johnson of League City, Russell Todd Phillips of Houston and Troy Don Phillips of Willow Park, Texas; sister Beverly Ann Gillespie of Dickinson; granddaughter Emily Ann Tyson (Larry) of Orange, Texas; grandson James William “Jimmy” Johnson Jr. (Genie) of Dickinson; granddaughters Elizabeth Abigail Wilson (Aaron) of Houston and Zoe Alexis Phillips of New York City; great granddaughter Hallie Eloise Hogue and great grandson Haden James Philip Hogue of El Lago; great granddaughter Kendall James Johnson of Dickinson.

Additional survivors include daughters-in-law Tammy Gravitt of League City, Karen Phillips of Houston and Mary Jane Self Phillips of Fort Worth; sisters-in-law Dolores “Loree” Strege of League City and Laverne Pratt of Dickinson; brother-in-law Kenneth Phillips of Stavanger, Norway, and several nieces and nephews.

Mary was preceded in death by her husband of 49 years, James Donald Phillips; parents William “Bill” and Dorothy McKenzie, mother-in-law Bessie Phillips Starnes, and brother-in-law Guy Gillespie.

Mary was born January 24, 1939 — the oldest of two girls to Bill McKenzie, a tugboat captain, and Dorothy McKenzie, a homemaker and former retail clerk. Mary and Beverly spent their early years in school and church near Houston’s Refinery Row along State Highway 225. Bill later moved his family to Freeport, where Mary and Beverly attended high school and junior high, never missed Sunday services, and walked a faithful path set by their parents.

At 9, Mary found a passion in piano and stayed committed to lessons and practice. She expanded her skills to organ and accordion. For decades, she was an instrumental pillar in every church she and James attended.

They first met in 1956 at Southwestern Bible Institute in Waxahachie in his sophomore year of college and her senior year of high school. He was just shy of 20 to her 17. Sadly, James’ dating overtures left Mary woefully unimpressed. The just-friends parted ways after her graduation.

Mary moved back to Freeport, had son James Johnson in 1958, then entered a male-dominated corporate world as a single parent. She started at Amoco then moved to GTE in 1969, rising from clerk to division manager before retiring in 1991.

While the pianist at Berean Temple in Pasadena in 1970, Mary heard about a new hymn leader and soloist. On occasion, he had two young sons with him. “Just go get coffee,” Dorothy kept saying. Mary was skeptical; he was that James Phillips from her senior year in Waxahachie.

One Sunday, he scrawled out an invite for coffee and had it passed to her in an offering envelope with her name. She accepted, and 15 years after first meeting, they married in November 1971.

They settled in League City, building a life of faith, family, career, music, food, sports, travel, camping, grandparenting, and retirement adventures. Mary was James’ staunch caregiver in his lifelong battle with diabetes. If the bustling McKenzie-Phillips-Gillespie “family compound” at E. Saunders and Clear Creek had a constant, it was Mary. The French press was always on, the bread fresh, and special occasions special. Unexpected company from James’ kin? Mary was ready.

Music was but one notch in Mary’s lifelong learning. She became a master seamstress and quilt maker, perfected a homemade bread recipe that couldn’t meet 24/7/365 demand, stored or recalled more baseball knowledge than the average Hall-of-Fame voter, honed every recipe from seafood gumbo to German chocolate cake, and navigated a 1-ton pickup with attached trailer through the Canadian wilderness — to and from Alaska. In a sense, she was the most talented lefthander since Sandy Koufax.

Despite challenges that included losing James and personal health, Mary persevered, loving and living faithfully as Bill and Dorothy taught. She was a devoted follower of her Lord Jesus and dedicated wife, mother, sister, grandmother, daughter, aunt, and friend. Her wry humor in weaving a story or memory was one-of-a-kind, like every quilt she stitched.

Despite our grief, we celebrate Mary and James being joined again, as well as a rich, cherished patchwork of memories they gifted us all. We love and miss you both.