Barbara Clare (Jones) Philips

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.— John 16:33

   When she was born in 1946, Earl Tupper first made plastic food containers called Tupperware in the United States; the first programmable digital computer was built in Pennsylvania; UNESCO was created by the United Nations to nurture worldwide peace; and the bikini swimsuit was first sold in Paris.  Each of these seemingly disconnected innovations represent her expansive imagination, hard-earned self-expression, and joy of living.

Barbara was the first born child of Queenie Carter Jones and Command Sergeant Major Walter T. Jones. Proverbs 22:6 guided them: “Train up a child in the way [she] should go: and when [she] is old, [she] will not depart from it.”  She was raised with a strong belief in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. She attended schools around the country and graduated from the historic Henry County Training School, a school designed and built by James McCauley, the father of Civil Rights Activist Rosa Parks.  Though born in Abbeville, she called several places home: Fort Ord, California; Fort Riley, Kansas; Tacoma, Washington; San Francisco, California; and Old San Juan, Puerto Rico.  

   She attended Morris Brown College before eventually deciding to enroll fully in The School of Life.  The School of Life empowered her to never be content with someone else’s definition of her. The School of Life taught her to define herself by her own beliefs, truths, and understanding.  More than anything, The School of Life affirmed what she knew in spirit and in truth:  she was a Child of God who was promised the desires of her heart.  She desired a family and she met and married Fernando “Philip” Arturo Philips. She found in her husband a kindred spirit that shared her fire and passion.  They soon welcomed three children–Felicia Antoinette, Xiomara Lissette, and Francene Nicole–each a unique reflection of their parents’ zest for life, amazing courage, and unwillingness to give up what is important.

   Her daughters saw a mother who was tenacious and determined.  Unsure of what her new mother-in-law might be saying, she became fluent in Spanish while living in Puerto Rico. Theirs was a mother who loved all genres of music from country to classic R&B and everything in between. It was nothing for her to sit back on the porch with a cold drink and good company after a long day as a cashier at the Abbeville IGA listening to Alan Jackson sing about getting older,  “And I don't mind all the lines / From all the times I've laughed and cried”.   Theirs was a mother who wasn’t a Fuddy Duddy who slinked through existence; instead, theirs was a mother who loved life and met its difficulties with a joyful heart.  She loved time with family and friends and playing Spades.  She loved every holiday and every color of the rainbow. Theirs was a mother who loved to dance.  And when she danced to salsa music, she was transformed.

   She was kind, nurturing, and generous–perhaps too giving to some people.  Ultimately, she knew that people are the hands and feet of God so she remained a kind and generous protector of her peace and the peace of others. She conveyed these gifts in the red beans and rice she made, in the slices of sweet potato pie she shared, and in her 2AM pantry raids to get just one more cookie.

   Barbara Clare Jones Philips is a beloved daughter, sister, cousin, aunt, mother, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend. She transitioned from this life to eternal joy and peace on April 30, 2022.  She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Spurgeon Jones, Ida Sheppard, and Sallie Mae Carter; her parents, Queenie Carter Jones and Command Sergeant Major Walter T. Jones; her brothers, Gordon Spurgeon Jones and Walter Thomas Jones II; the father of her daughters, Fernando Arturo Philips; her daughter, Francene Nicole Philips Barrow. 

   Her legacy will be sustained by her daughters Felicia Antoinette (Amnon) Rattray and Xiomara Lissette Rogers; her grandchildren, Jasmine C. Brown, Eric Singleton, Anthony J. Rogers II, Kyla L. Rogers, Christopher Philips Barrow, Amnon Rattray, Jr., Alexis Rattray, Alysha Rattray, and Tasheera Martin; her great grandchild, Kimani Peters, and her sister, Dorothy (Isiah) Long. Her memory will be cherished by her nieces and nephews, Andre (Tanisha) Parker, Nicholas Shavers, Ni’Kiyah Kristian Shavers, Brayden Parker, and Tristan Parker.

   Others who count it a blessing to have known her are among an ever-growing, endless list of people with whom she developed special bonds including Valerie Sistrunk, Tony Lamair Burks; Jerry Brown, Oscar Page III, Dorothy Baker, and Mack Leon Hogans; devoted friends; and members of the Jones, Carter, Tillman, Philips, Long, Rattray, Rogers, Parker, Burks, Potter, Durdin, Page, Patrick, Newton, Hardaman, and Shavers Families.

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