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Jessie Glass Phillips passed away at home on the morning of September 5, 2008 (her mother's birthday) after a long illness. She was born July 28, 1925 in Rockford, IL. Her mother, Catherine Mary Chemello Glass; and father, Edward Merrill Glass; and brothers, Billy and Peter Michael; all preceded her in death. She is survived by her sister, Lila Chidichimo of Twin Falls, ID; and brother, Pat Glass of Belvidere, IL; her children, son Laurie, his wife Jane and their daughters Megan Hoffman and Erin Phillips, all of Albuquerque; son Nick, his wife Michelle and their son Derek of Chandler, AZ; daughter Mary K. and husband Scott Farmer of Albuquerque and daughter Jacque Phillips-Paro of Phoenix, AZ. Jessie grew up in Belvidere, IL with her mom, dad, sister, and brothers at 202 West Perry. She attended Perry School, and graduated from Belvidere High School in 1943. During the war, she worked at several different jobs in and around Belvidere and took flying lessons in her spare time. After the war, she and her sister attended the University of New Mexico, where she majored in languages and met her husband-to-be Wallace Phillips. After they married, Jessie worked at Sandia National Labs in Albuquerque until Wallace graduated, when they moved to Omaha, NE where he attended dental school and Laurie was born. When Wallace got his dental degree in 1952 the family moved to Gallup, NM where Nick and Mary K. were born. Jessie was a homemaker and mom in Gallup for nearly 25 years. She was divorced in 1974, and moved to Albuquerque where she re-enrolled at UNM, studied economics, and graduated in 1984 with a Phi Beta Kappa key. She then worked for UNM's Bureau of Business and Economic Research until retiring in 1992. She continued to live in Albuquerque and enjoyed her retirement reading books, scuba diving, and international travel including taking the Trans-Siberian Railway across Russia. She loved birds and bird songs and enjoyed watching and feeding the birds in her flower garden. She never liked tomatoes -"No tomatoes anywhere on the plate!"-and to this day her kids and grandkids regard tomatoes with suspicion. Mom loved words, wordplay, reading, and the English language. Puns ("the thong is ended, but the malady lingers on!"), spoonerisms ("I'm going to shake a tower"), crossword puzzles, and murder mysteries were her constant entertainment. She loved to clip unintentional humor from the newspaper to share with family and friends. Special thanks are extended to Karen Herring and other staff of VistaCare hospice for their wonderful care and sense of humor. Services will be Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 1 p.m. at the Sunset Memorial Urn Garden at 924 Menaul NE in Albuquerque.
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