Mabel Ellen Phillips

She was born on February 1, 1953, in Innisfail, Alberta to James and Milly Messum. A good portion of her childhood life was growing up in Vernon, BC along with her siblings Ken Messum, Debra Messum (aka Kitchen) and Laura Messum; along with many cousins, aunties and uncles. Vernon became one of her favorite places; with its beautiful lakes and gorgeous countryside. Mabel worked at a restaurant alongside her mother and during the winter she worked at the local ski hill. Eventually, she moved to Prince George, BC where she was blessed with two very beautiful children; Jason Reidlinger and Denise Reidlinger.

Mabel is survived by her husband Paul Phillips; two children; four grandchildren and numerous family and friends.

Besides spending time with her family and friends, Mabel was an extremely hard worker and had a passion for traveling, solving puzzles, doing a vast variety of crafts and enjoying her gardens. She and her husband, Paul, end up residing on her parent’s old farm out in Nukko Lake where she also enjoyed her cats, dogs and her chickens.

Mabel and Paul shared their vows to one another in their backyard on July 31, 2016. They spent a great deal of time and energy turning her parents’ old farm into their beautiful home. Shortly after, Mabel and Paul spent 3 months traveling across Canada in their motorhome in the earlier stages of her illness with her lungs. Although there were challenging times, she really enjoyed it. During her marriage to Paul, she was treasured and treated extremely well and life got easier for her. Paul loved her and would have given her the world if he could. Paul would refer to Mabel as” my girl”. He loved her like no one else.

She also struggled with her hearing loss most of her life, which was a challenge for her in school, with employment and with communicating with her loved ones. However, that never stopped Mabel from being ready and willing to help people. She was a person that had a heart of gold and never wished ill on anyone. She was loving, caring and very supportive. She was a person that you could always go to for a shoulder to lean on.

Mabel showed a great deal of strength during her illness and never lost her sense of humor. Even during her last few days, she was still telling jokes and putting smiles on our faces. She was like a mother hen; always taking care of her loved ones.

Mabel Philips will be greatly missed by many!

There will be a Celebration of Life will be held out on her homestead on July 30th, 2023, where family and friends can come together to share a potluck lunch and memorable stories.