April 2020
Jim Phillips, F158824, once considered running for a city council seat in Beaverton, Oregon, where he and his wife, Ann, lived. But he dropped the idea after she reminded him that it would be impossible to hold such an office while they pursued their shared interest of traveling by motorhome.
Eventually, though, Jim became a candidate for another office, one that allowed him to travel as much as he wanted. In 2001, he was elected FMCA national vice president, Northwest Area, a post he held until 2005. During his terms on FMCA’s Executive Board, he served on these committees: Constitution and Bylaws; Policy and Procedure; and Convention.
James George Phillips died February 1, 2020, at age 93. He was a resident of Tigard, Oregon, and Casa Grande, Arizona.
“He had a very strong personality,” said Ann. “He had very strong ideas about how he wanted FMCA to evolve and be run. He stepped on some toes. Not everyone was on the same page with him, but he stuck to what he believed.
“He was like that in business, too,” she said of her husband’s career, which began in real estate and then shifted to insurance and back to real estate. “He was like a bulldog: If he got a bone, he didn’t let go of it. . . He held on to his belief of what was right and what should be done.”
He introduced his ideas without being overbearing, according to former FMCA Executive Board members. They described Jim as amiable and hard working.
“I just thought he was a hell of a good guy,” said Don Moore, who was FMCA national president from 2005 to 2007. “He had a lot of good ideas. He was a good worker. He was an asset to (FMCA). He would listen to anybody and try to (formulate) something that would be constructive to FMCA.”
“I’m so sad that he’s gone,” said June Davis, who was FMCA national secretary when Jim served on the Executive Board. “He had a delightful personality. His ideas were good. He presented them well.”
Jim was born in Portland, Oregon, to Greek American parents. After four years of college, he served three years in the U.S. Army with a field artillery unit in Alaska. He later joined the U.S. Army Reserve and eventually was commissioned as a colonel. His military service totaled 38 years.
He and Ann married in 1985. A few years later, they bought their first motorhome, a Monaco. As they pulled into an RV campground one day, they were greeted by members of FMCA’s Monaco Northwest chapter, who convinced them to join FMCA and the chapter. Jim eventually served as the chapter’s president. He and Ann also were members of eight other chapters.
What he loved most about FMCA, his wife said, was the people. In letters he sent to prospective chapter members, he wrote: “When you make the decision to join a particular chapter or chapters, you will find that you have joined a new ‘family.’ Some of the members will become your closest friends.”
In 2001, Jim and Ann became full-time RVers, a lifestyle they enjoyed for 10 years. They traveled throughout the United States, as well as to Canada and Mexico. “We didn’t kill each other living in a motorhome, which was kind of amazing,” Ann said, jokingly. Over the years, they owned three Monaco coaches, and “every one of them we enjoyed exponentially more than the one before.”
In addition to his wife, Ann, survivors include members of their blended family: children Deborah Phillips, Becky Olson, James Phillips Jr., Jessica Fumano, Shanona Vargo, Kevin Carsh, and Kelly Carsh; 17 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.
Memorial donations can be made to Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Cathedral, 3131 N.E. Glisan St., Portland, OR 97232; or the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org.