The funeral for Merle Allen Phillips will be at 11:00 am on April 14, 2018, Central Christian Church with his daughter, Alison Phillips Robuck and Rev. Jack Weston officiating.
Burial was in Memorial Park Cemetery in Enid under the direction of Anderson-Burris Funeral Home.
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Merle was born February 24, 1936 in Enid, OK and died Monday, March 26, 2018, at 2:14 a.m. He was the son of Fred Allen Phillips and Jewel Vivian Anderson Phillips. Merle grew up in Kremlin, OK, graduating from high school in 1953. He attended Oklahoma A & M, now Oklahoma State University, majoring in Speech and Drama. He entered graduate school and received the M.A. degree in both Speech/Language and Audiology in 1960 from Wichita State University. It was there he met and married Phyllis Arline Phillips on May 30, 1959.
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He began his career as a speech/language pathologist in the Wellington, KS Public Schools. Two years later he was offered a position in Enid, OK as professor at Phillips University in the Speech Pathology & Audiology Department, which was associated with the Community Speech and Hearing Center. He taught courses in Speech, Language and Audiology while conducting hearing tests and fitting hearing aids. He was very active in several professional organizations: American Speech/Language Hearing Association (where he served as an Oklahoma delegate to the National Convention), Oklahoma Speech/Language Hearing Association, serving as President, a founding member and President of the Oklahoma Council for the Hearing Impaired as well as other professional organizations.
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For five years Merle was Director of the Community Speech and Hearing Clinic while still in charge of the Speech & Hearing Department of Phillips University. In 1983 Merle became an audiologist at Dr. Jack Hough’s Otologic Medical in Oklahoma City and helped establish the Audio Recovery facility there. He was also a participating member of the initial cochlear implant development team in connection with Integris Baptist Medical Center until his retirement in 2001. Merle continued in private practice for a few years before finally “retiring”. He became so busy as President of Horn of Plenty in Enid he wondered how he ever had time to “work”.
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Merle enjoyed being an active member in the Enid Sunrise Lions Club where he served as President. Merle and Phyllis discovered ballroom dancing as a great source of exercise and social interaction. They helped to develop the Oklahoma City Ball Room Dance Club while living there with Merle serving as President. They then became members in the Enid Big Band Dance Club, with Merle serving as music chairman and President.
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Merle’s love for music led him to Banjo Festivals where he became acquainted with many of the 4-string banjo players from throughout the United States and a few foreign countries. He purchased three banjos and joked that he knew three chords, one for each banjo. He enjoyed playing his trumpet and one of his highlights was getting to play two numbers with the Floyd Haines Trio in Stillwater at their dance club. It was Merle and Phyllis’ 49th wedding anniversary and her gift to him was to arrange ahead of time with Floyd for him to provide Merle the experience of playing with a group. At intermission, she presented Merle with his trumpet she had secretly brought with them and he played “Dark Town Strutter’s Ball” and “ Sugar Blues” with the Trio. He got a standing ovation.
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Merle grew up hearing his mother play Ragtime Music, so he and Phyllis attend as many Ragtime events as possible. (He especially enjoyed the Ragtime performances of Max Morath who was married to Phyllis’ cousin, Norma.) They also enjoyed Traditional Jazz Festivals, especially the ones that were held in Osage Beach, MO and Evergreen, CO.
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When Merle and Phyllis moved to Enid they joined and participated in many activities at the Willow Road Christian Church, serving on the Church Board and sponsoring the Christian Youth Fellowship. Later the family moved their membership to Central Christian Church where his maternal grandmother, Elizabeth Harrison (Mrs. F.M. Anderson) had been a charter member. Merle was an Elder, a member of the Church Board, helped sponsor Junior Youth Fellowship, served on many church committees, and was Chairman of the Board in 2003. He was a long time member of Adult Bible Study Sunday school class where he enjoyed teaching the class when needed.
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In 2006 Merle was first diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. He functioned well until 2015 when it was determined he would be better off with 24-7 care and became a resident at Autumn Leaves in Edmond, OK, a wonderful facility whose sole purpose is to care for Alzheimer and Dementia patients where he was happy to the end.
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Surviving are his wife, Phyllis and daughters: Beth Kelly, of Bethany, OK, and Reverend Alison Robuck of North Little Rock, AR. Merle will also be missed by his grandchildren: Heath Kelly, Holt Kelly, and Katelyn Robuck, his sister-in-law, Peggy Phillips Wilhoite, and nieces, Vivi Johnson Grigsby and Michele Phillips.
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His mother, father, brother, Marion Phillips, and Uncle Earl R. Anderson preceded him in death. Memorials may be made to Merle and Phyllis Phillips Family Fund through the Christian Church Foundation P.O. Box 1986, Indianapolis, IN 46206.
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Condolences can be made to the family online at Andersonburris.com. Honored to be recognized nationally, the past 6 years, for the Pursuit of Excellence award. Because family matters, let us take care of yours. We are proud to own the only crematory in Garfield county and ensure your loved one receives the care and respect they deserve while never leaving our care. Visit 3002 N. Van Buren, Enid, OK 73703. Call: (580)233-2700.
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