Obituary of John Henry Phillips III

John Henry Phillips III, 87, of Lady Lake, Fla., passed away on 8/27/2021. He passed away in Tampa, Florida due to an unexpected illness. John was born in Selma, Alabama to John Henry Phillips II and Flora Ponds. As a teen, he loved spending his time playing in the woods and tinkering with motorbikes. As he got older, he attended community college, and then served in the Marine Core, where he completed maneuvers in the Mediterranean. During his time with the marines he studied communications. After leaving the service, he worked for RCA in Cape Canaveral, Florida during the infancy of the US space program. His work ultimately led to him to joining ARINC Inc., where he worked as an air traffic controller until his retirement.

In his early 20s he met his soul mate, Borinquen Mari. They fell in love in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico where they ultimately married. Within 5 years they had started a family, complete with Jaqueline and John Henry IV. As a family they loved traveling and spending time with other family members. Being a kind and dependable father, husband, brother and son was of the utmost importance to John and he certainly did not disappoint when it came to wholeheartedly loving his family. John was a proud marine veteran and an avid New York Yankees fan.

In addition to John Henry IV and Jacqueline, John is survived by his sister Tina Ann Bearden and various nieces and nephews. He was preceded in passing by his loving wife Borinquen. The funeral service will be held at Hiers-Baxley Funeral Home on 9/21 at 11:00AM . There will be visitation at the same location beginning at 10:00AM. His family will be present to welcome loved ones.