Welton Phillips Obituary
Welton Phillips, a resident of Twin Lakes Retirement Community, Burlington, NC, died peacefully in his sleep on January 1, 2021, at the age of 92.
Welton was a generous and caring man. He had charm, a warm and welcoming smile, and a mischievous sense of humor. Welton’s blue eyes were always sparkling with joy. He fully realized he had lived a very good life.
Welton was born in Cleveland, Alabama in 1928, the youngest of 11 children. He was the son of the late Charlie Washington Phillips and Essie Hunt Phillips. Welton was predeceased by his sisters, Eileen and Matrice and by his eight brothers, Floyd, Lewis, Jack, Charles, Elery, Ford, Leonard, and Lenton. He remained close to all of his brothers and sisters until their deaths.
Welton was born just before the Great Depression. He learned early the value of hard work and how to get by with little. Farm life was strenuous, even as a child, but the family never went hungry. The children still had time to play together, leaving Welton with many happy memories and entertaining stories of times with his siblings.
Five of Welton’s brothers served during World War II, with all but one serving in the military at some time. It was natural for Welton to join the Navy when he turned 17.
Welton met his future wife, Marilyn “Tootsie” Leverett, several years later in the Oneonta, Alabama bus station, where she worked selling bus tickets. He tried to buy bus tickets to fictitious destinations, just to talk to her. Welton never bought a bus ticket, but he did talk Marilyn into marrying him on December 22, 1951.
Welton soon transferred from the Navy to the newly created Air Force. His subsequent military career as an aviation mechanic took the family, which now included their daughter Andree, around the world and the United States. Welton rose steadily in rank and responsibility. Welton’s career took the family to: Miami, Florida, Panama City, Florida, Sculthorpe, England, Chateauroux, France, Riverside, California, and Warner Robins, Georgia. He also served a tour of duty in Vietnam. He spent a considerable amount of his time in the Air Force as a safety inspector, which required travel to almost every Air Force base in the country. Welton retired from the United States Air Force as a Senior Master Sergeant in 1971 after 25 years of active service.
Welton and Marilyn settled in Warner Robins, Georgia. He was a pest control technician for several years after retirement, more to keep occupied than as an income source. One of his great pleasures was the creation of a large and productive kitchen garden that was the envy of neighbors and was written up by the local agricultural extension agent. Welton became an expert canner, producing as many as 70 quarts of tomatoes each season from his garden, many shared with neighbors and friends.
Welton applied his years of mechanical knowledge to the restoration of classic automobiles. He and Marilyn made driving trips through small towns and rural areas of the South, searching for abandoned cars to either restore or to use for parts. These trips expanded to the entire country. Welton and Marilyn would load their minivan and be gone for up to six weeks. These trips took them throughout the lower 48 states.
After living for 20 years in Georgia and retiring a second time, Welton and Marilyn moved to a rural mountaintop setting north of Birmingham. After 10 years, they moved to North Carolina to be closer to Andree and John, first moving to a community about an hour’s drive south of Chapel Hill, NC. They continued travelling and gardening. Welton began creating folk craft projects, including wooden Christmas trees, bird houses, bottle trees, and the charming “tin men” made from discarded cans.
Andree and John introduced the possibility of their moving to a retirement community. Welton and Marilyn were reluctant, believing a move would signal they were “old people”. In their early eighties, they still felt so vibrantly alive and couldn’t understand why such a move might be beneficial. When they visited Twin Lakes in Burlington, NC, they fell in love with the retirement community, selling their home and moving in within a few months. They made many cherished friends in a short time and experienced one of the few regrets of their lifetime – the regret they did not make the move sooner. They quickly took on supporting roles for neighbors who were in poorer health: driving them to doctor’s appointments and making meals for those recuperating from illness or surgery. Welton delivered the afternoon mail to his fellow neighbors on Wesley Court. Welton was also known for his frequent gifts of his homemade sweet potato pie. He relished providing for neighbors until his own health declined and he became the recipient of the loving support he had so generously given to others.
Welton experienced a tragic fall at age 90, breaking his right upper arm in 3 places. He was stoic in his recovery. An even greater tragedy occurred on the day of his discharge from his 6 month stay in rehabilitation, Marilyn was diagnosed with lung cancer. This completely destroyed their plans for living together and caring for one another. Marilyn’s cancer treatment was not effective and she died peacefully six months later.
Losing his wife of nearly 70 years was a painful blow to Welton. He was able to make a new home on the Orchard in Coble Creek Health Care. He was surrounded by a loving and caring health care team, who provided him with amazing support. This group of talented and generous care providers became even more important during the COVID pandemic, in that Andree and John were not able to visit Welton. The staff at Coble Creek became Welton’s new family. Welton rewarded them with his winning smile, charming wit, and generous spirit.
The COVID pandemic required John and Andree develop a new way to stay connected with Welton. They were able to establish a video/audio connection to his room, allowing for frequent and long conversations, sometimes up to three hours during a day. This allowed Welton to be part of Andree and John’s lives, by doing such things as watching them cook dinner or just being with one another, not saying a thing. Andree and Welton had regular after dinner coffee time together.
Welton is survived by his loving daughter, Andree and her husband and Welton’s beloved son-in-law, John Woosley of Chapel Hill, NC. Welton will be missed by his surrogate daughter and son-in-law, Celia Sandford and Steve Perrin, good friends of Andree and John.
A celebration of Welton’s life will be held at a future date. Memorial contributions can be made to the Twin Lakes Residents Assistance Fund, 3701 Wade Coble Drive, Burlington NC 27215.
Memorial contributions can be made to the Twin Lakes Residents Assistance Fund, 3701 Wade Coble Drive, Burlington NC 27215.
