June 1, 2012 (Jackson) - On Thursday, May 31, 2012, Linda Goldie Phillips, Assistant Vice President for University Advancement, died at the age of 66 in her home due to complications of ovarian cancer.
Dr. Roger Parrott, President of Belhaven University said, “Our dear friend and colleague, Linda Phillips finished the race well and has moved on to heaven. Linda was a special gift of God to Belhaven University, and while we are hurting as a campus to see her life on earth come to an end, we are filled with thanksgiving for all the good she did during her 20 years at Belhaven. We rejoice in her life well lived. Please be praying for her husband Tom and their family, as well for those who worked closest with here at Belhaven.”
Born in Fresno, California, Linda was the first of seven children. Most of her childhood was spent in the Nigerian mission field watching after and running around with her siblings, learning good hospitality for wayward missionary travelers, and reading books in the limbs of a mango tree while her parents, the now deceased missionaries Dr. Robert F. and Edna Muhlbacker Goldie, were tending to the medical and spiritual needs of the surrounding area.
She is survived by one sister and five brothers. She is also survived by her loving husband, William Thomas Phillips; their three children, Anita Phillips Atwood, Jeanette Phillips Morgan, and Scott Phillips; four grandchildren, Mariah, Curtis, Adia and Miles; and her sister-in-law, Vicki Phillips.
After rearing their young children, Linda and Tom moved the family back to Mississippi in 1980 in order to complete her graduate studies at Mississippi College, eventually becoming employed at Belhaven University as Assistant Financial Aid Director for the college which introduced her to a career in the field of financial aid for higher education.
For the last 20 years, she played a major role in the success of Belhaven University’s Financial Aid and Student Services Department by recognizing the diverse needs of its constituency and the need to always remain mindfully proactive. Her caring enthusiasm and commitment towards the university helped create a positive environment for growth for all of its students and faculty.
Linda was a devoted member of Beulah Baptist Church in Brownsville. She and Tom were previous members of First Baptist Church, Jackson, before changing residence to the Brownsville area. She enjoyed spending time with her family, tending to flowers in the yard, mowing the beautiful 22 acres of her home, baking her specialty lasagna dish for friends and family and unselfishly making sure the needs of others were consistently met before her own.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the Fitzhugh Building Fund at Belhaven University, Jackson, MS.
True to her nature, Linda donated her body to University Medical Center’s Department of Anatomy for the ongoing research to help find solutions to the ever present issue of cancer. Due to this generous gesture, there will not be a burial, but instead a visitation on Sunday, June 3rd between 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. at the Phillips home.
"So dont be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time." Matthew 6:34.