Bella Vista, AR: Dorothy Jean Phillips of Bella Vista, Arkansas passed away at age 93 after battling Alzheimer’s disease. Her family will deeply miss her presence as a devoted wife, mother, and grandmother, who loved to make things beautiful, yet they rejoice knowing she is in the arms of her Heavenly Father.
Dorothy was born in Fairfax, Missouri on July 17, 1930, to Anna Louise Umbarger and Eugene Merle McCartney. She was the oldest of three children. She met her husband Carmen Phillips at a soda fountain, when she was 17, and then again at North West Missouri State Teachers College where they were students. They were married on March 29, 1953.
Dorothy and Carmen opened their hearts and their home to three adopted children – Jeffrey Thomas, Cynthia Denise, and Bradley Eugene. As a young mother, Dorothy started her own cottage industry, baking and decorating cakes for weddings and special occasions. She was also a high school teacher, and an avid quilter; her family treasures her creations. As her children grew older, Dorothy worked at Hallmark Cards, Zondervan Christian Books, and Intervarsity Press.
After Carmen’s retirement in 1991, he and Dorothy purchased a motor home which allowed them to travel together full-time for eight and a half years. They also traveled to Europe, England, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and China. Dorothy delighted seeing the world with her husband.
Dorothy is survived by her husband Carmen Phillips; brother Robert McCartney and wife Pat, sister-in-law Janis Truelove; daughter Cynthia Spitler and husband Paul; son Bradley Phillips and wife Lisa; grandchildren Russell Spitler and wife Catherine, Eric Spitler and wife Mason, and Paige Phillips; great grandchildren Auden Spitler, Darcey Spitler, Jack Spitler, and Daisy Spitler; numerous other relatives and friends.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, Donald McCartney, and her beloved son, Jeffrey Phillips, who was tragically killed in an accident in 1973. She was buried adjacent to him in Akron Cemetery, Cainsville, Missouri on June 4, 2024.
Local services provided by Bethany Memorial Chapel. Tributes may be left at www.bethanymemorialchapel.com