Anne Marie Montano Phillips

April 12, 1916 ~ January 14, 2012

Monterey ~ Anne Phillips, a resident of Monterey, died Saturday, January 14. Born in Naugatuck, Connecticut, she was adopted as a small child by Nicola and Rosaria Montano and raised in Hartford. There Anne studied art and was a runway model for G. Fox and Company. Her favorite hobby during those years was horseback riding.

In 1944, Anne married Willard Phillips, an executive with the Ford Motor Company whom she had met in Hartford during World War II when he was attached to Pratt & Whitney. Following the war, they moved to Huntington Woods, Michigan where she pursued a career in bookkeeping until the birth of their son, Willard Jr., in 1950. During the late fifties, Ford moved the family to Des Moines, Iowa. There Anne volunteered at the Blank Memorial Children’s Hospital and was of service to numerous other charitable organizations including the United Way.

In 1966, the company relocated the family to England where they took up residence in Chigwell, Essex, a small village on the outskirts of London. During the next four years, Anne and Bill made numerous, extensive trips across the English Channel visiting all of the major European, Scandinavian and African countries. Anne particularly loved London, Devon and the Cotswolds in England, Switzerland and Italy.

Following Anne’s years in England came a two-year stint in India, again compliments of Ford. Having loved jewelry making and similar artistic efforts all her life, she studied the art of batik while resident in Delhi. Avid travelers, every weekend Anne and Bill journeyed about India. Amongst her most memorable trips were those to Agra, home of the Taj Mahal, a jaunt to Katmandu and a train trip to Kashmir where they stayed on a palatial houseboat.

They were next transferred to San Paulo, Brazil. Again, loving travel, Anne not only enjoyed the shopping, food and night life of the major South American cities but happily explored the wilds of the continent including boating down the Amazon River, taking in the exotic flora and fauna of the region and was thrilled watching blue-footed Boobies dive in the Galapagos. But most of all, her favorite was the majesty of Macha Picchu.

In 1978, they retired to Monterey, taking up residence in the Skyline Forest overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Anne was a member of the Carmel Foundation and the Monterey Peninsula Country Club. In retirement, they continued to travel, enjoying trips to China, Australia, New Zealand and, though not so exotic, their absolute favorites were a number of holidays with the entire family at the Basin Harbor Club in Vermont where Anne always won the pot at bingo.

She continued to play bridge and read voraciously until her physical body failed at 95 years of age. She was astute, aware and sharp to the very end, having enjoyed a long, fantastic and beautiful life with her loving husband and best friend Bill who preceded her in death in 2008.

Anne is survived by her son and his wife, Willard and Shirley, of Carmel and her grandchildren, Andrew and Audrey.

Memorial services will take place at The Paul Mortuary Chapel on Saturday, February 4 at 2:00 PM followed by a reception at Monterey Peninsula Country Club. Memorial contributions are suggested to Community Hospital Cancer Center, PO Box HH, Monterey, 93942.

We’re wondering which Big Band you and Dad are dancing to tonight.

Arrangements under the direction of The Paul Mortuary, Pacific Grove, CA.