Helen M. Phillips
Helen Marie Phillips, 99, of New Underwood passed into the loving arms of her Savior on January 14, 2016.
She was born in the family home near Woonsocket, S.D., on February 1, 1916, the daughter of Melvin and Ethel Larson. She grew up on the family farm and attended a rural grade school and Lutheran Church, where she was baptized and confirmed. She graduated from Woonsocket High School and Eastern State Normal at Madison, S.D. Helen taught elementary school for 10 years in the 1940’s. She was married to Wesley Fredricks in Oklahoma City in 1943. Wesley, a member of the US Air Force, sacrificed his life for his country that year. Helen returned to South Dakota and married Roy Phillips in 1949.
Roy and Helen raised their family of three children on their ranch in Meade County, and Helen continued to ranch for a number of years after Roy’s death on January 10, 1994. Helen was a loving and devoted wife, mother, grandmother and great-grandmother.
Grateful for having shared Helen’s life are her children, Sandra and Keith Stover of Mankato, Minn., Scott and Paula Phillips of New Underwood, and Gayla and Tom Raba of Rapid City; six grandchildren, Sara (Clint) Caffey, Brent Stover, Casey (Sarah) Phillips, Tami (Nathan) Hannan, Andrew Raba, and Mathew (Jammie) Raba. Also surviving are her five great-grandsons, Gabriel and Benjamin Raba, Jacob and Joshua Caffey, and Sean Hannan.
She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, one brother, four sisters and an infant son.
Services were held Tuesday, Jan. 19 at the Lord of Life Lutheran Church, Rapid City. Burial followed at the New Underwood Cemetery.
The memorials will go to the Roy Phillips Memorial Scholarship that Helen established 22 years ago to benefit a Meade County High School graduate who is enrolled at SDSU in the College of Agriculture.
