David Dave Alden Phillips Jr

Dave Phillips

David Alden Phillips Jr was born June 13, 1961 in Los Angeles to David Alden Phillips Sr and Norma June Lansford. He was welcomed by two sisters Anastasia (Stacy) and Desiree and a short time later, Beth joined the family. His sisters couldn’t say Junior when they were little, so he became ‘Dunner’. He was an active go getter his whole life. He was a ‘worker’ and always wanted to be that from the time he could walk.

Shortly after he was born, his family moved to New Cuyama, CA, because of his asthma and the air quality in L.A. His Dad shares this story: When I would come home from working in the oil fields, I’d shed my work boots, say ‘hi’ to the wife and kids and collapse in a recliner. David took over from there. He’d climb into my boots (which went all the way up to his knees) and shuffle through the house, taking over from Dad to continue any work that needed to be done in boots, until he got to me. Then he’d shed the boots, climb up into my lap and stand there with a wet diaper planted in my face.

More from his Dad – He was always active and trying to work. He used to toddle across the yard as I stood working on our old Ford station wagon – trying to keep it running. David was always a mechanic at heart. We couldn’t keep him in his crib. One time he took the nuts and bolts off of one side, at the foot of the crib and simply swung the side open and climbed out. We secured that and he figured out how to get his weight off the mattress and springs, lift one end up and drop them both to the floor. Then he simply slid down the mattress to the floor and was ‘free again’!

When his family moved to Santa Maria, CA, David continued learning about mechanical things. His dad could personally attest to this as he could never find his tools. As a last resort he would scour the backyard and eventually find most of them in the tall grass where he had been working on a bicycle or some other project.

His dad had a little Yamaha 175 cc bike that was street legal while they lived there and he took him on a father/son trip over night. They had their sleeping bags and rode on beaches, freeways, and back roads. They finally spent the night on a hillside in a walnut orchard, near Paso Robles, CA. That was one of his favorite trips that he enjoyed talking about with others. Albert was able to take motorcycle trip with Dad several years ago that was similar.

His sister Beth shares these stories: David was a very open and eager child and had very specific interests. When we were in elementary school and junior high, we would go to and Aunt Mildred and Uncle George’s house in Brawley, CA. They owned a trucking company that hauled sugar beets in the summer and gravel in the winter. David would ride around with my Uncle to check on the trucks and delivery.

When we weren’t with Uncle George working, we would swim at a friend’s house down the street or at the apartment of one of George’s friends. It would get to be 115 degrees and we would swim until we were exhausted and then go to Thrifty’s to get a double decker ice cream cone. If we weren’t swimming or trucking, George would take us out to the desert in an old Jeep he kept for our use. We would fly through the desert sand, nearly killing ourselves many times.

David loved trucking. He loved being amongst the drivers, the smell of grease and dirt from the fields and the sound of a Jake break. He loved thumping the tires with a tire iron and hearing the hard reply. But most of all, he loved the people he shared the experience with as was true of everything he did in life. He never met a stranger.

His sister Desiree shares these memories: I can remember when we were in grade school. I went through a tomboy stage and we would build forts on the side our home in Santa Maria. We would play with the army men from around the world that some of our parents friends had given him. What fun we had. I remember backpacking trips and being cold in the middle of the night, each of us crawling into our parents sleeping bags to get warm. Going to summer camp at Hume Lake and him following me with my friends…pestering me would be more accurate, just being the younger brother who also tried to be the man of the house when our parents divorced.

We used to trade off Fridays and spend the night with our grandparents, eating cookies and sharing a bed...he was an annoying little brother…hyper and wouldn’t shut up when I wanted to sleep. He could sell a rock to anyone…saying it was magical. I used to sub for him on his paper route from time to time. All of his newspaper subscribers loved him. He was always a gentleman to everyone. Opening doors, carrying packages or helping someone in need. He was also very embarrassing at times too! But you had to love him and his good intentions and heart. He rarely ever met someone he didn’t like. If he did you needed to take heed. As we grew up, he always made sure to keep in touch. Family has always been first for him. He tried to model his Grandpa Raymond Lansford. A true man of God and family. He was very much like Grandpa in his ability to fix anything, even if it didn’t really need to be fixed. One thing about my brother that I appreciated was his will to keep trying…he was so stubborn at times, but had a heart full of great love.

Dave moved to Oregon in 1992 to get a new start in life and met Tammi Jackson Anderson in 1994 at a grocery store. They married two weeks and three days after meeting. He loved her and her four children, along with his son Christopher, who he re-connected with later in life. They had two more children together, Albert and Karli. He also became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints the following week and felt he had finally been given ‘the rest of the story’. He embraced the teachings and enjoyed associating with many of the members. He was always one of the first to welcome new faces and knew a lot about them upon first association. There was never a question he wouldn’t ask.

They shared several business ventures. One was a repossession company they would work many nights doing together, returning home in time before the older kids left for school. This was an adventurous occupation with a gun being held on him at one point. One assignment, a shot gun was cocked on Adam and Dave defused the situation quickly. Another business he enjoyed was owning his own auto repair shop. He was able to use the talents he had learned in his youth to help others, and didn’t back away from a challenging repair.

He was always looking for ways to show mom how much he loved her. When she got home from work one day, she found he had made a valance in the living room with ‘I Love you Tammi’ designed on a painted white board in bright red letters. He was crushed when she didn’t share his excitement in the location of his sentiment.

One thing we all learned as a family, that if Dad invited you to go to town with him, you would be ‘kidnapped’ for hours. His intent might be to have a few stops to make, but more than likely, he would happen upon someone broken down on the side of the road and he would do his best to fix the problem there. His nick name with Mom was ‘Eagle Eye’ as he would always scan his surroundings and usually find someone needing help or some ‘find’ that he had to check out.

On one of his return trips home, he came across some people working on a car in a rest stop late at night. He went over to lend his assistance but he didn’t have the tools he needed with him, so after he arranged to have the car towed to a local repair shop, he piled the 5 people into his truck and sleeper and hauled them from Klamath Falls to Salem that night (even though his log hours had run out), as one of the party had a business meeting to attend first thing in the morning.

With his last business, over the road car deliveries, I got to enjoy a two week trip during the summer. We had a great time together.

Dad enjoyed a three week motorcycle trip with his friend Don last year. They were able to visit family and enjoy the beauty around them. Dad and Mom knew that it would probably be his last hoorah. The trip ended when Don wrecked his bike and was critically injured. Thankfully he recovered.

My dad suffered with a lot of health issues and would usually wind up in the hospital 2-3 times a year. It was a surprise though when the results came back that he had a terminal lung disease this last time. We did the best we could to adjust to the upcoming result and the difficulty to watch as the disease progressed. His health took a turn for worse last Friday. It rapidly declined and after three days of struggling to breath, was finally able to pass peacefully at home with some family near his side.

He survived by his wife Tammi; children, Christopher (Stacy) Ostafin of Roseville, CA.; Adam (Ashley) Anderson of La Pine; Oliver (Sharon) Anderson of Provo, UT; Erin (Miles) Johnson of Ridgefield, WA; Bryon Anderson of Provo, UT; Albert & Karli Phillips, Turner; and 11 3/4 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father David (Joan) of Sun City, AZ; sisters Stacy (Jerry) McCarney; Desiree (Pete) Loporchio; Beth (Jay) Flamm-Overby of Orcutt, CA; many nieces and nephews. His mother Norma preceded him in death.

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David Alden Phillips Jr. passed away on Tuesday May 27th, from the effects of a terminal lung disease discovered by the doctors seven months previously.

Dave was born June 13, 1961 in Los Angeles to David and Norma Phillips. He was the third child and only boy. His sisters couldn’t say Junior when they were little so he became “Dunner”. His family later moved to Santa Maria, California where he spent his youth. He was always active and trying to work and especially loved anything mechanical. He loved visiting his Uncle George and Aunt Mildred Carpenter in Brawley California during the summers. They owned a trucking company that hauled sugar beets in the summer and gravel in the winter. Dave would ride around with his Uncle to check on the trucks and delivery. Dave loved trucking; he loved the camaraderie of the drivers, the smell of grease and dirt from the fields and the sound of a Jake Brake. He loved thumping the tires with a tire iron and hearing the hard reply. Most of all he loved the people he shared the experience with.

Dave moved to Oregon in 1992 to get a new start in life and met Tammi Jackson Anderson in 1994 at a grocery store. They married two weeks and three days after meeting. He loved her and her four children, along with his son Christopher who he reconnected with later in life. They had two more children together, Albert and Karli.

He was always looking for ways to provide a better living and owned several businesses at different times. His favorite was owning his own auto repair shop in Turner. He was very good at diagnosing and fixing problems. Due to his health issues, the shop was sold. He had the ability to tackle new challenges and excel. He seemed to always find those needing assistance and felt complete when helping others. He knew no strangers.

David had struggled with health problems for many years and would bounce back until the next health challenge came along. He only had two speeds, on or off. He was very competitive. His health took a turn for the worse on Friday, and after a couple of long days and nights of struggling, he passed peacefully at home with some of his family at his side.

Dave is survived by his wife Tammi; children, Christopher (Stacy) Ostafin of Roseville, CA.; Adam (Ashley) Anderson of La Pine; Oliver (Sharon) Anderson of Provo, UT; Erin (Miles) Johnson of Ridgefield, WA; Bryon Anderson of Provo, UT; Albert & Karli Phillips, Turner; and 11 3/4 grandchildren. He is also survived by his father David (Joan) of Sun City, AZ; sisters Stacy (Jerry) McCarney; Desiree (Pete) Loporchio; Beth (Jay) Flamm-Overby of Orcutt, CA; many nieces and nephews. His mother Norma preceded him in death.

A video tribute in his honor can be accessed through youtube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mV3DwC_KSnw

Arrangements under the direction of Gateway Little Chapel of the Chimes, Portland, OR.