Mildred “Vikki” Elizabeth (Phillips) Southern, 82, passed away at home in the loving care of her devoted husband and caregiver, Roy, and her family, on Good Friday, April 2, 2021 after years of declining health due to Alzheimer’s. She was a devoted wife, encouraging mother, fun-loving grandmother, devoted sister, and loyal friend. Vikki recognized and fostered the potential in others. She was a gardener of plants and people. Being on the receiving end of her big, broad smile and the twinkle in her eyes was to feel warm and loved. Vikki’s life will be celebrated at 3 PM, April 10, 2021 at Ebenezer Lutheran Church with the Reverend John Fair officiating. The family will receive friends beginning at 2pm and again following the 3pm Funeral Service. All events will be at the church.
Vikki was born September 18, 1938, in Guilford County, to the late Lawrence and Myrtle Lowe Phillips, and raised in a rural community where faith, hard work, and dedication to family and community were etched in her character. As a young girl of fourteen, she attended a picnic at Battleground Park with her parents and met the boy she would marry. Vikki and Roy married in 1957 and loved and celebrated almost 64 years together. Vikki was a proud Air Force wife and mother of four. Roy’s Air Force career took him to Asia, but the family was stationed in Hawaii and San Antonio where she worked for many years in Civil Service. She knew that when one person serves in the military the whole family serves. After his retirement in 1975, they returned to Greensboro. Vikki had a successful career from 1977 to 1999 with the IRS where she started as an administrator and retired as a facilities manager, responsible for all offices in eastern NC. After retirement, she and Roy earned their real estate licenses. Vikki found a new passion in real estate going above and beyond to help first time home buyers and she loved guiding clients through the complicated process. More than anything else, she is remembered for her infectious smile, her great hugs, her generosity, her selfless service, and her unwavering dedication to family, friends, clients, and those less fortunate. Vikki loved God and lived her faith through service and prayer. Through their travels she was a valued member of many churches and she and Roy have been active and faithful members of Ebenezer Lutheran Church since 2007. In her healthier days, she enthralled her grandchildren with her extemporaneous stories of the adventures of her created character “Smish Smash” and never missed a chance to attend a game or concert or special event for them. She loved the ocean, and family and friends all will treasure memories of numerous retreats to the NC coast. Vikki was an avid gardener and spent hours tending her plants and flowers creating an oasis at their home and enjoyed being a member of the Greensboro and the Stoney Creek Garden Clubs.
She leaves behind her husband, Roy, of Whitsett; children, Sabrina Roi Southern, of New Bern and Kaiserslautern, Germany; and Julene Valitutto and husband, Richard, of Greensboro; Reverend Donald Southern and wife, Crystal, of Siler City; Wylie Southern and wife, Mary, of Greensboro; grandchildren, Richard Valitutto II, John (Kathleen) Valitutto, Alexander (Ashley) Valitutto, Caroline Valitutto, Morgan Southern, Sarah Southern, Rachel Southern, Hannah Southern, and Grayson Southern; great-grandsons, John Conway Valitutto and Henry Royce Valitutto. Also surviving is her sister, Margaret Bailey, of Elon; her sisters-in-law, Jeanette Brammer, of Graham, and Marie Southern and brother-in-law Richard Southern, of Elon, and many others whom she loved, including nieces and nephews and a large extended family. In addition to her parents, her brother William Phillips preceded her in death.
Vikki’s family would like to thank caregiver Pam Smith, and AuthoraCare (Burlington) for their kind and tender care of Vikki during this last year and the declining days of her illness. Memorial contributions may be directed to AuthoraCare Collective, 2500 Summit Avenue, Greensboro, NC 27405 or Ebenezer Lutheran Church, 310 S. Tremont Drive, Greensboro, NC 27403.
Online condolences may be offered at www.haneslineberryfhnorthelm.com Hanes-Lineberry N. Elm Chapel is assisting the Southern Family.
