Lea Antonia Embuscado Phillips

It is with great sadness the family of Lea Antonia Phillips, RN BSN announces her passing. She was 54 when she died Saturday, November 15th after a short battle with lung cancer. Lea was born in Olongapo City, Zambales, Philippines in 1960 to Fred and Fely Embuscado, both natives of the Philippines. She came to the United States at the age of 9 and grew up in Texas.

Following graduation in 1977 from Nimitz High School in Irving, TX, she moved to Oklahoma City with her former husband where she worked at the General Motors plant. She attended Oklahoma City Community College where she earned in 1985 a degree as a registered nurse. Subsequently, she received a bachelor’s degree in 2012 in nursing from OU.

For two decades, she worked in various capacities as a nurse in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at OU’s Health Science Center. In 2002, Lea joined S. Abbas Shobeiri, MD in 2002 to create OU Women's Pelvic & Bladder Health Center. The center was recognized as a National Center of Excellence largely due to Lea's efforts of ensuring the highest degree of excellence in patient care.

Lea was funny, witty, and highly intelligent. She loved to joke and laugh. Lea was loyal, hardworking and always spoke as a patient advocate. She loved organizing team building around good food. A terrific cook, she was famous for her chicken salad, egg rolls and countless Pilipino dishes. All were served with humor and wisdom.

Lea enjoyed spending time with her husband Dennis Phillips whom she married in 2005 plus her three daughters Rachel, Melissa and Lauren, all of Edmond. She became a grandmother recently to Jasper Coley Webb who was the light of her life.

Lea was by nature a very generous lady. She was devoted to helping others particularly the Filipino Friends for Filipinos, a local nonprofit that distributed grant funds to organizations in need in the Philippines. Additionally, she was a member of LifeChurch, Edmond campus and looked forward to attending her weekly Wednesday bible study group.

Lea was preceded in death by her mother, Fely. She is survived by her husband, Dennis Phillips of Edmond and three daughters: Rachel Coley, Melissa Coley and Lauren Coley, all of Edmond. She was also stepmother to Christi Phillips of Mobile, Alabama. She was blessed with one grandson, Jasper Coley Webb of Edmond and two granddaughters, McKenzie and Kristen Phillips, both of Mobile, Alabama.

Viewing will be at Baggerley, Friday, from 9am to 8pm, with the family to receive friends from 6pm to 8pm. A celebration of Lea’s life will be at LifeChurch, Edmond, Saturday, November 22, 2014, at 11am. Interment will follow at Memorial Park Cemetery.

Donations can be made in lieu of flowers to Filipino Friends for Filipinos (fondly known as F4), 4716 Tamarisk Drive, OKC, OK 73142.