Jennie Pappas Phillips, born on September 17, 1920, in Havelock, Nebraska, passed away on December 2, 2018, in Oklahoma City. Jennie was one of nine children born to Peter (Panos Pappanikolaou) Pappas and Athena (Theophilopoulos) Pappas. Jennie graduated from the University of Nebraska at Lincoln with a B.S. degree in pharmacy. She was married in 1943 to Colonel George Phillips, US Air Force, in a marriage which lasted for 61 years until George passed away in 2004. Together they had three daughters: Diane, Terry, and Patricia. Jennie was blessed with many gifts: she was an excellent cook, talented seamstress, and had a natural skill in baking Greek pastries. While in school, she excelled in languages (Greek, Latin, and French) and was instrumental in assisting her children and grandchildren with their homework, even diagramming sentences.
Jennie was predeceased by her parents and by her brothers Bill, Harry, Chris, and George, and by her sisters Mary, Eugenia, and Rola Pappas Hamm.
Jennie is survived by her sister Clara Pappas Wilberforce of Lincoln, NE, and by her two daughters, Terry J. Lippmann (her husband Patrick of Oklahoma City) and Patricia Sambol (her husband Don, Jr. of Kansas City, KS). She is also survived by her grandchildren: Julie P. Benson and husband James of Virginia; Nicole Sambol of New Mexico; Brian P. Bishard and wife Sonya, Oklahoma City; Justin P. Lippmann, Texas; and Kevin Sambol, Kansas City, KS. Jennie had one great-grandson, George W. Benson. She served faithfully in various capacities with her church, St. George Greek Orthodox Church of Oklahoma City, where her father-in-law Nick Phillips was one of its founding members.
She was a fine example of a dignified lady with a passion for her family and friends. Her life of 98 years was a testament to how well she lived.
A Trisagion Service is scheduled at 7:00 PM, Wednesday, December 5, 2018 at Hahn-Cook/ Street & Draper Funeral Home, 6600 North Broadway, Oklahoma City. Funeral services are scheduled at 2:00 PM, Thursday, December 6, 2018 at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 2101 NW 145th Street.
Memorials for Jennie may be made to St. George Greek Orthodox Church.
