Elaine Haigh Phillips

As Woody Guthrie once noted, trying to write down a song is like trying to take a picture of a bird in flight. That is also the challenge of sharing the life story of Elaine Haigh Phillips, who passed from this world to the next on March 22, 2017, and for the same reason: Words alone cannot convey the vibrancy of this extraordinary woman. She was a dynamic and incandescent life force, a loving and fiercely loyal wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, friend and neighbor. She loved music, roller coasters, fireworks, birds, horses, books, flowers, and watching sports with family, among many other passions and interests. She was an enthusiastic cast member for many decades of Vaud-Villities, where she sang with the first altos. She was a proud supporter of Pelotonia, the annual bike ride that raises funds for cancer research. For many years she worked as an interior designer, and had an impeccable eye for the right color and the ideal fabric. Her sense of style—to decorate a home, a garment, or a life—was as precise and unerring as perfect pitch. Florence Elaine Haigh was born on Nov. 8, 1936, to Albert E. and Anna Elizabeth Haigh. She and her older sister Helen grew up in the Clintonville area. Elaine was a 1954 graduate of North High School. She met her husband, John L. Phillips, at a horse show at the Ohio State University. They would have celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary on May 5. Together they raised five children, and have delighted in twelve grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, John; and by her children Thomas Haigh Phillips (Diane Dornbusch) of Worthington; John E. Phillips (Brenda) of Phoenix AZ; Susan Phillips of Galena; Caroline Elaine Phillips-Stevens of Sunbury; and Elizabeth King (Neil) of Annapolis MD. Her grandchildren include Daniel Phillips, Jessica Webb (Brian), Lydia Phillips, Erica Phillips (Andrew Regan), Alexandra Phillips (Scott Short), Carly Phillips, Connor Phillips, Anna King, Thomas King, Catherine Elaine King, and Elizabeth Clare King. Her great-grandchildren are Crosby Webb, Sullivan Webb, and Elin Webb. This list of survivors cannot, however, ever be complete and definitive, because she touched and enriched the lives of all of those with whom she came into contact. Searching for a phrase that best encapsulates Elaine’s life is difficult, given the range of her gifts and the quiet beauty of her contributions, but those who knew her best might agree upon this one, which served as the epitaph for Kathleen Kennedy Cavendish (1920-1948): “Joy she gave; Joy she has found.” Visitation will be held at Rutherford-Corbin Funeral Home, 515 N High St in Worthington, on Wednesday, March 29 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. A celebration of Elaine’s life will be held at North-Broadway United Methodist Church 48 E North Broadway, Columbus, OH 43214 on Thursday, March 30 at 11:00a.m. Contributions can be made to Vavd-Villities, 4411 Tamarack Blvd, Columbus, Ohio 43229. www.vvshows.org In lieu of flowers financial contributions can be made in Elaine’s name to Pelotonia 351 W Nationwide Blvd, Columbus, OH 43215 or Vaud-Villities, 4411 Tamarack Blvd, Columbus, OH 43229.

Elaine Haigh Phillips

November 8, 1936 - March 22, 2017