Donald A. Phillips

On Tuesday, April 27, 2021, Donald "Don" A. Phillips, of Meredith, NH, loving husband and father of four children, passed away at the age of 89 surrounded by his family.

Don leaves behind his second wife, Eleanor (DePine) Mongovan; his children, Michael Phillips and his wife, Melody, of Center Harbor, NH, Ann Green and her husband, Dan, of East Montpelier, VT, Peter Phillips of Meredith, NH, and Kathryn Rodriguez and her husband, Jesus, of Albuquerque, NM; his grandchildren Melissa Young and her husband, Chris, of Moultonborough, NH, and Mark Phillips and his wife, Olyvia, of Ashland, NH; his great-grandchildren Clara and Connor Young; his stepsons, Michael DePine of Danbury, CT, and Joseph DePine of Crystal River, FL; a stepdaughter, Brenda (DePine) Bell, and her husband, Mark, of Portland, ME; three step grandchildren; and seven step great-grandchildren. He is predeceased by his first wife, Jan (Jordan) Phillips, his siblings, Dick and Ruth Phillips, and his stepson Glenn DePine.

Don was born in Laconia, NH on March 29, 1932, the third child of Paul and Blanche Phillips. He graduated from Laconia High School, Class of 1950. After graduation, Don joined the Navy, became a radarman, and saw active duty aboard the USS Newport News (CA-148), USS Iowa (BB-61), and USS Macon (CA-132) based out of Norfolk, VA. Once he completed his enlistment, Don attended the University of New Hampshire and got a bachelor's degree in English Literature. To earn money for college, he and his brother, Dick, started the Paugus Bay Water Ski School on Lake Winnipesaukee. Around this time, Don met his first wife, Jan, and she helped the brothers successfully run the ski school for many summers.

After Don and Jan married in 1960, he began working as an English teacher and varsity ski jumping coach at Lebanon High School. Once they started a family, they moved to Meredith and Don began working at Inter-Lakes High School as an English teacher, and later, the school librarian. During the summers, he worked on the lake as a NH Marine Patrol officer and as captain and tour guide of the Doris E. cruise boat. Don worked at Inter-Lakes for a total of 23 years until he retired in 1987. Don and Jan were married for 58 wonderful years until her passing in 2018. He was blessed to marry again in August 2019. His second wife, Eleanor, is a former classmate and dear friend from Laconia High School.

Don will be remembered for his genuine warmth, unwavering friendliness, and playful sense of humor. He was active in his church and community, devoted to his family, and had a life-long love of Lake Winnipesaukee. He was an avid photographer and enjoyed travel, reading, music and sports. He will be especially missed around the holidays, where he was a dynamo of activity and spreader of good cheer. He could always be counted on to enthusiastically lead spirited post-meal family gaming sessions. It was rumored that he strategically whistled during these games to gain a competitive edge over those driven to distraction. He was also known to be a tireless advocate for mincemeat pie at Thanksgiving, with little success.

Calling hours will be held at Mayhew Funeral Home in Meredith, NH on Sunday, June 6th from 1-3 PM. Masks are Mandatory and Social Distancing is Strongly Encourage. A Funeral Mass will be held at St. Charles Borromeo Church in Meredith on Monday, June 7th at 10 AM followed by an interment at Meredith Village Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations in his memory to St. Charles Borromeo Church, Meredith, NH or The Lake Winnipesaukee Association at www.winnipesaukee.org .