Dorothy Lorene Phillips, 93, a lifelong Hagerstown resident, passed away peacefully, with family by her side, on Wednesday, September 18, 2019, at Friends Fellowship Community, where she had resided for the past year.
Dorothy was born in Hagerstown on April 1, 1926 to Arch and Helen (Miller) Knapp.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 70 years, George, and six brothers and sisters.
Survivors include three children, Mark Phillips of Rossville, IN, Judy (Steven) Luckhardt of Ann Arbor, MI and Lorin (Susan) Phillips of Lee’s Summit, MO; five grandchildren, Jacob (Amy) Phillips, Daniel Luckhardt, Jennifer (Michael) Somervail, Sarah and Christine Phillips; three great-grandchildren.
Dorothy would best be remembered for her beautiful smile and overall kindness. She graduated from Hagerstown High School in 1944. She attended Indiana University in Bloomington for one year, then returned to Hagerstown and worked as an executive secretary at Perfect Circle. It was there that she met George, and they were married on December 31, 1948.
She and George built their own home by hand and raised a family. Dorothy then began taking a wide variety of classes at IU East in Richmond, just because she enjoyed learning. She also loved all arts and crafts, especially oil painting, needlework, ceramics and adult coloring. For many years she was an active member of the Women’s History Club and The Book Club.
In the 80s she found new interest in real estate and became a very successful real estate broker in her own company, Dorothy Phillips Real Estate. She listed and sold many properties in the Hagerstown area for 25 years.
She and George were world travelers and visited many European countries, in addition to most of the United States. A lifelong member of the Congregational Christian Church provided the opportunity to sing in the choir and teach Sunday School and Vacation Bible School classes.
Visitation will be 12:00 PM to 2:00 PM on Monday, September 23, at Culberson Funeral Home, Hagerstown. Services will follow at 2:00 PM. Rev. Ray Armstrong will officiate. Burial will be in Brick Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the donor’s favorite Veteran’s service organization.