John R. Phipps

May 16, 2019 - December 14, 2009

MATTOON, IL - John Randolph Phipps, age 90, of Mattoon,IL, entered his heavenly home at 8:00 p.m. on Monday, December 14, 2009 at Sarah Bush Lincoln Health Center.\r\nServices celebrating and honoring his life will be held on Saturday, December 19 at the First Presbyterian Church, 10 Charleston Avenue in Mattoon, IL. Visitation will be from 9:30 until 11:00 a.m., followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m., with Reverend Art Woolverton presiding. Burial at Thomas Lincoln Cemetery, Lerna, IL, will follow, with military honors conducted by the Illinois National Guard and the Mattoon VFW Post 4325. Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL 61938, will be handling the arrangements. \r\nDuring World War II, John served in the Philippines as an army artillery battery commander. Upon returning home, he joined his brother Clem and his wife, Claribel, as a partner in the Phipps Shoe Stores. He married Pauline Prunty on February 8, 1946. Rather than joining the Reserves at that time, he dropped his commission as a Major, back to Captain, to organize Illinois National Guard Company E, 130th Infantry in Mattoon with 21 men. An armory was built for training, which was later rededicated in his name.\r\nJohn again performed front line combat service in the Korean War as an Advisor to Republic of Korea (ROK) army troops, where he earned a Silver Star and Combat Infantry Badge.\r\nOver the years, as a citizen soldier, he attended weekly drills, summer camps and went to Advanced Military Schools, including Fort Sill, OK (Artillery), Fort Benning, GA (Infantry); Command and General Staff College, Carlisle Barracks, PA; National Defense University, Fort McNair, Washington, D.C.; Air War College, Maxwell Air Base, AL; Air Safety Course, University of Southern California, and an orientation tour of American troops in Europe in 1980.\r\nJohn served as Assistant Adjutant General of the State of Illinois from 1970-1978, and, in 1971, he earned his Masters in Public Administration at Sangamon State University (now the University of Illinois, Springfield). He became the Adjutant General in 1978, serving until his retirement in 1983, after 42 years of commissioned military service.\r\nHe continued in community service thereafter, serving for 13 years on the Coles County Board of Review, and was active in his church and multiple service clubs. At the time of his death, he was a member of the First Presbyterian Church, Rotary Club, Exchange Club, a director on the boards of the Lincoln/Sargent Farm Foundation and the Thomas Lincoln Cemetery Association; and a member of the Mattoon Golf and Country Club. He also had life memberships in the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars, 40 & 8, the National Guard Association, and the University of Illinois Alumni Association. John rarely missed attending University of Illinois home football and basketball games, and he loved to travel with his beloved wife and family. He had taken the time to write two books, 'Citizen-Soldier' and its sequal, for the benefit of his grandchildren and progeny. \r\nHe was a loving and devoted husband, father, grandfather, and friend to many. We all will miss him.\r\nIn lieu of flowers, donations may be made to a charity of your choice. Please visit www.mitchell-jerdan.com to light a virtual candle in his honor or share a memory with his family. \r\nServices celebrating and honoring his life will be held on Saturday, December 19 at the First Presbyterian Church, 10 Charleston Avenue in Mattoon, IL. Visitation will be from 9:30 until 11:00 a.m., followed by funeral services at 11:00 a.m., with Reverend Art Woolverton presiding. Burial at Thomas Lincoln Cemetery, Lerna, IL, will follow, with military honors conducted by the Illinois National Guard and the Mattoon VFW Post 4325. Mitchell-Jerdan Funeral Home, 1200 Wabash Avenue, Mattoon, IL 61938, will be handling the arrangements.