William McKinley Phillippe Jr.

J. C. Harwell Funeral Home

Dr. William McKinley Phillippe Jr. passed away in Covington where he had spent the last couple of years under the care of his youngest daughter and son-in-law Deborah and Donald Theall. He was the eldest child of the Rev. William M. Phillippe Sr. and Oney Gibson Phillippe. A former resident of Brooksville, Fla., since 1985, Dr. Phillippe was born in Staunton, Va., and attended God’s Bible School in Cincinnati, Southern Wesleyan University in Central, South Carolina, and Indiana Wesleyan University in Marion, Ind. He was ordained Elder in the Indiana District of the Wesleyan Church in 1952 and awarded a Doctor of Divinity from Southern Wesleyan University. Dr. Phillippe pastored churches in Virginia, Indiana and Georgia. He served on several mission trips in Africa, India and the Caribbean Islands for the Wesleyan Global Partners. Two years were spent in Africa in developing new churches for the Wesleyan Missions.

Dr. Phillippe developed Phillippe Park, a residential retirement park of the Wesleyan Village in Brooksville. He developed and built a chain of nursing homes and a management company to operate and construct the homes.

He later gave these to the Highpoint Wesleyan Church for a life annuity. He was an avid big game hunter, hunting in Africa, Alaska, Canada and the United States.

The fruit of his hunting was displayed in a trophy room at Wesleyan Bible Conference Association.

Dr. Phillippe was preceded in death by his son William M. Phillippe III Esq. who died in London.

Surviving are daughters and son-in-law Deborah and Donald Theall, Gypsy Phillippe of Tampa, Fla.; grandson William Anthony Phillippe of New York; sisters Jane Edwards of Mt. Airy, N.C., and Nancy Swauger of Brooksville; brothers Joseph Phillippe of Garfield, Ark., and Thomas Phillippe of Indianapolis and Brooksville.

Memorial services were held at 6 p.m. Oct. 27 at Harwell Funeral Home. A viewing at 10 a.m. Oct. 29 at the Brooksville Wesleyan Methodist Church and a funeral at 3 p.m. will follow.

The Covington (Ga.)News Oct. 28, 2005