Billie Mae Phillips

Billie Mae Phillips, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and great-great-grandmother, passed away peacefully on August 10, 2024, at the age of 96. She was born on January 10, 1928, in Hopkins County, Texas, to W.T. "Bill" Miller and Flonnie Mae Nichols Miller.

Billie Mae grew up in Pickton, Texas, where she developed a love for learning and a strong sense of community. She pursued higher education at East Texas State University, graduating in 1948, and later earned her Master's of Education in 1972. A dedicated educator, Billie Mae devoted her career to teaching in Plano ISD, where she inspired countless students until her retirement in 1984.

A woman of faith and service, Billie Mae was an active member of the United Methodist Women Bible Study in Pickton, Delta Kappa Gamma, and the Texas Retired Teachers Association. Her deep connection to her faith community was also evident in her long-standing membership at Caney Baptist Church. She was also a longtime former member of Tabernacle Baptist Church in Pickton

Billie Mae was married to the love of her life, Frank Phillips, who preceded her in death in 2001. Together, they built a loving family that was the center of Billie Mae’s world. She is survived by her daughters, Anna Pettit of Allen, Texas, and Amy Phillips of Sulphur Springs, Texas; her grandchildren, Frank Berentsen and wife, Lisa, Scott Berentsen and wife, Jennie, Anna Sheffield, Jamie Walton and husband, Adam; her great-grandchildren, Audrey Sheffield, Frankie Berentsen, Christopher Berentsen, John Berentsen, Caroline Sheffield, Charlie Sheffield, Charlotte Mae Walton, and Barret Maxwell Walton; and her great-great-grandson, Jake Sheffield.

Billie Mae was preceded in death by her parents, W.T. "Bill" Miller and Flonnie Mae Nichols Miller, her husband Frank Phillips, her brothers, Wilford Thomas Miller and Ernest Trant, her grandson Max McKinnon, and her son-in-law Mark Pettit.

Her legacy of love, dedication to education, and unwavering faith will live on in the hearts of her family and all who knew her. Billie Mae Phillips will be deeply missed, but her memory will be cherished forever.

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