Donald Richard Phillips

He is preceded in death by his mother Dorothy Seiple Frye, his father Lloyd B. Phillips, his sister Thelma Detwiler, and his brother Kenneth Phillips. He is survived by his sister Elsie Yarnell of York, Pennsylvania, his wife of 54 years Esther Anne, his son Christopher and numerous nieces and nephews.

After graduating from Cedar Cliff High School in 1957, he attended Penn State University for one year before moving to California where he worked at McDonald Douglas and UCLA doing design and drafting work. After serving 2 years in the US Armed Forces, he returned to Pennsylvania where he worked mainly in landscape design and art.

As a lifelong naturalist, Don pursued many hobbies and interests that expressed his love and passion for the outdoors. He was a gifted artist who was well known for his detailed and realistic depictions of wildlife and nature. He had numerous art exhibitions across the the country including the William Penn State Museum and the Everhart Museum in Scranton, Pennsylvania. He co-authored and illustrated 3 books on nature and Native American myths with Hamilton Tyler of Healdsburg, California. As an avid and published photographer, he and his wife worked as a team for decades traveling across the country and internationally in search of nature’s beauty to photograph.

As a lifelong amateur entomologist, Don accumulated an extensive collection of butterflies and other insects that will be donated to Wildwood Lake Nature Center to be put on display for the public to study and enjoy.

Don was a member of the National Wildlife Federation, National Audubon Society and the Harrisburg Art Association where he worked as a part time teacher for over 10 years.

Memorial Services will be held at Fort Indiantown Gap Cemetery later in the spring.

Memorial contributions can be sent to National Wildlife Federation and Wounded Warriors.