Daniel Nicolaus Phillips

Daniel N. Phillips, 98, of St. Joseph passed away on Saturday February 16, 2019 at His Home Residence, in St. Joseph. A Celebration of Life Service will be held at 1:00 PM Friday, at Starks & Menchinger Chapel 2650 Niles Road with burial to follow at Lincoln Township Cemetery. Visitation will be from 5:00 – 7:00 PM on Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials may be made to Caring Circle of Saint Joseph, or SWMI Humane Society. Friends wishing to leave a condolence may do so at www.starks-menchinger.com. Daniel Nicolaus Phillips was born March 30, 1920 to Stephan and Elisabeth Phillips, in Lefor North Dakota. His parents were Homesteaders and worked a farm where Daniel helped cultivate and harvest wheat, as well as care for the many animals. One of his jobs was climbing the windmill, which was used for pumping water, to fix “the wheel” when it stopped working. This was OK with him, even though it required a thirty-foot climb in all kinds of weather! Dan joined the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1939 where he built shore protection on the Yellowstone River to prevent erosion. He worked in sub-zero weather doing this, but he never minded because he was making a difference in the world. Dan joined the United States Army in 1942 and served on Adak in the Aleutian Islands of Alaska where he built and maintained an airfield used by the United States Air Force to bomb the island of Kiska, occupied by the Japanese. He was in the first invasion wave of Kiska, but due to the fine job the Air Force had previously done, the enemy was gone! After his duty in the Aleutians, Dan was assigned to Fort Hood in Texas to train raw recruits. He turned them in to soldiers in six weeks. He always said “They came to me as boys, but they left me as men!” During one training session in which he was teaching a group of recruits how to throw live hand grenades, one recruit pulled the pin, but dropped the grenade behind the line! Dan immediately yelled “Hit The Dirt!!” he then found the ticking grenade and threw it away where it exploded safely, saving the lives of hundreds of people around him. Dan achieved the rank of Tech Sergeant, which is one rank below Master Sergeant, which is the highest Sergeant rank. He was offered Master Sergeant, and officer training school, but he declined because he enjoyed training troops, where he made the most difference for the world. Upon his discharge, he went to California to join his family who had moved there. They all moved to Stevensville Michigan to continue farming. On April 18, 1948, Daniel married Jeanne Lanning at the First Baptist Church in St. Joseph, in 2016 they celebrated 68 years together just before she passed in December of that year. Together they had two sons, Robert in 1954 and Alan in 1958. Dan had many jobs in the Saint Joseph area, but he settled at Auto Specialties Manufacturing, where he worked in their machine shop and assembled product. He retired after 40 years. Dan continued to do odd jobs whenever he could earning whatever money he could get to help support his family. In 1969 he, along with his sons, built the house he lived in. He always spoke highly of that achievement and liked to point out places he worked on, such as laying each brick in the fireplace. Dan was always doing something and very handy with tools. He taught his sons how to use them which they much appreciated. He was always proud of them when they fixed something. He always tried to fix things himself saying “You learn to do, or do without!” But occasionally he reluctantly called a repairman after many attempts to do it on his own. Dan loved music and was very proud of his two son’s musical achievements on Piano, Saxophone, Organ and French Horn. He loved Polka and Big Band Music, his favorite being Glenn Miller and Benny Goodman. Dan also loved Dogs! He enjoyed many throughout his life, his last is a Sheltie, who he called his “Little Buddy Dog!” Dan was always very proud of his Military Service and reminisced about it often. The day before he passed, Sergeant Arden Pridgeon of “Lest We Forget” in conjunction with Hospice presented him with a certificate of appreciation for his service. Dan appreciated this very much. It made a difference to him during his last hours on earth. Dan was the oldest of three sons, and also had four sisters. He was the last survivor of his siblings. Dan was proceeded in death by his Parents, Stephan and Elisabeth, his Sisters Barbara, Valeria, Hilda and Theresa, his Brothers Steven, and Walter. His Son’s Robert and Alan and his “Little Buddy” Merlin survive Dan. Dan will be greatly missed and always remembered because He Made A Difference in The World. Thank you for this Dan, we Salute You!