Gloria Jane Phillips

Gloria Jane Phillips “Mom taught her baseball-loving sons how to slide into second base,” Philip Whitby proudly tells his friends when speaking about his mother, Gloria Jane Phillips, who passed away suddenly in Orlando on Thursday, April 4. She was 83 years old.  Gloria was born October 11, 1929 in Salt Lake City, Utah to Harry and Genevieve Scott.  She was raised in Malad, Idaho. Growing up on a farm, she learned the work ethic and responsibilities required to keep a farm running.  That same knowledge transferred into knowing how to play hard raising four sons, too.  Being academically talented, Gloria graduated from high school at age 16 and excelled in the violin for which she was offered a scholarship to Juilliard, a performing arts conservatory in New York City. She chose, instead, to marry, work and raise her children. She worked in telecommunications, retail sales and the secretarial/bookkeeping fields for over 30 years.  Gloria enjoyed living in a variety of locations including Idaho, Utah, Southern California, Washington, DC, Florida, Germany and Vietnam. In California, she was honored as Mrs. Hermosa Beach.  Family, work and travel adventures generated many great stories and hours of laughter for her over the years. Survivors include four sons, Steven Jenkins (Dixie), Philip Whitby (Carolyn), Douglas Whitby (Marlene) and David Whitby and one stepson, Mitchell Phillips (Karen), as well as eight grandchildren and nine great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents and a younger sister, Diana Harrison. Gloria was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Service and Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Lawn in Salt Lake City, Utah on Friday, April 12 at 2:00 PM. Phone number 801-582-1582.