Carol Lou Phillips

Carolyn Louise “Carol Lou” Sherman Phillips, 94, died April 15, 2025, just two months shy of her 95th birthday. Her entire family was able to communicate and be with her in the days preceding her death.

Carol Lou was born on June 17, 1930, to Dr. Harley Bakwel “H.B.” Sherman and Helene Young Ruth Sherman, at Alachua General Hospital in Gainesville, Florida, where she was raised. Her older sister, Patricia, acquired a nickname soon after birth, and became known as Patsy or Pat. Determined to avoid a nickname with their younger daughter, she was named Carolyn Louise. However, by kindergarten their little Carolyn Louise became known for the rest of her life as Carol Lou.

Carol Lou grew up in a close-knit family. Her father taught mammalogy as a professor at the University of Florida and her mother was a former schoolteacher. Carol Lou developed lifelong interests in animals, plants, reading, and music. She had numerous unusual pets as a child, including an opossum, a couple of squirrels and many turtles. Indeed, Dr. Archie Carr, a colleague of her father’s, gave her reptile eggs for an “egg garden.” Alas, due to zealous overwatering the eggs never hatched, but a love of herpetology was born.

Piano playing was dear to Carol Lou as well. She became an accomplished pianist, and until arthritis took its toll on her fingers in her later years, she loved playing classical music, ragtime, hymns, and took special delight in playing duets, first playing them with her dear sister Pat.

In 1948, Carol Lou was one of the first female “Florida Gators,” attending UF soon after the school became coed. Upon graduation in 1952, she was selected along with her friend Mary Foote to serve for two years as Department of the Army Civilians in Heidelberg, Germany. Carol Lou had the highest security clearance as she took minutes in high level meetings for the commanding generals of the US Army in (occupied) Europe. She was to use her skills as recording secretary in other positions throughout her life.

In Heidelberg, Carol Lou met her future husband, Gerald Phillips, at choir practice. He was a tenor, she was a pianist, and they made beautiful music together. Upon their discharges from the Army and their return to the United States, Carol Lou and Gerald married in 1954. Married life began in Des Moines, Iowa, where they had two daughters. Their son was born while the family lived in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Their final move was to Tallahassee, Florida, where their third daughter was born.

A lifelong Presbyterian with a deep faith, the Presbyterian church was Carol Lou’s primary focus for most of her life. She participated in leadership at all levels of the church, even at the national level. Beginning in sixth grade by playing the piano for church-wide Sunday School classes, she also served at First Presbyterian Church in Tallahassee as deacon, elder and trustee, sang in the church choir, played in the bell choir, and was a member of the Rebekah Circle until her death. She was the church secretary there from 1965-1968 and from 1972-1976. Carol Lou was also one of the very first employees at Westminster Oaks in Tallahassee, serving as Residential Life Coordinator, directing residents’ activities and organizing events for them from 1980-1987.

Carol Lou served as Recording Secretary of the Presbytery of Florida; the Permanent Clerk of the Synod of Florida; and served on the Synod Council. At the General Assembly level, she served as Recording Secretary for the church-wide Presbyterian Women coordinating team from 1994-1997. At the same time, she served as Recording Secretary on the national Church-Wide Coordinating Team of Presbyterian Women, working with 300,000 Presbyterian women in the United States. Extensive travel was required, and deep friendships were formed as the women travelled and worked together. Carol Lou typed up the voluminous minutes of these meetings, and was given the courage to stand before hundreds of women to read them – despite her tremendous fear of public speaking! Carol Lou was honored to receive the Presbyterian Women Lifetime Award from the Presbytery and First Presbyterian Church, and the Valiant Woman Award from Church Women United.

Service to the community was also a key component of Carol Lou’s life. She was a Grey Lady in the clinic at Leonard Wesson Elementary School in the 1960s. In the late 1970s she served on the Board of Directors for the Neighborhood Health Clinic. She served as a Pink Lady at Tallahassee Memorial Hospital’s surgical waiting room from 1987-1990, stopping only when she developed pneumonia. During her time at Westminster Oaks, she started the Tallahassee Parkinson’s Disease Support Group. She also served on the Board of Directors for Westminster Communities from 2008-2010.

Carol Lou was also active in the Morning Glory Garden Circle, serving as Recording Secretary and on the Board of Trustees for the Tallahassee Garden Club. For her many years of service to the Garden Club, she was awarded the Lifetime Membership Award and a Pink Debutante Camellia was planted in her honor at Dorothy B. Oven Park in Tallahassee.

Carol Lou was preceded in death by her parents, her sister, and her husband of 67 years. She is survived by her four children: Pamela (Casey) Fitzgerald, Sandra (Bruce) Screws, Michael (Joan) Phillips and Rebecca Colon; her grandchildren: Bruce, Jr. (Allison) and Trevor (Bonnie) Screws; Brian, Jr. (Melissa) and Sean (Emily) Fitzgerald; Preston (Isabelle) and Cameron and Josie Phillips; and her great-grandchildren: Jane and Anna Screws, Evelyn and Brian Fitzgerald III, as well as a little Phillips on the way.

Carol Lou was the glue that held our family together. She taught her children to have a strong moral compass, based in faith; to persevere and do a job to the best of one’s ability; to serve the Lord and his creation; to make time, always, for family and those who needed a listening ear and a compassionate response. A child of the Great Depression and World War II, she learned to be strong and self-reliant, and had an inner core of steel, which served her well for almost 95 years. She was ready to meet her Lord and Savior, feeling that she had served her purpose on this earth to the best of her ability. In her words, she tried to be a servant of God. She taught us to do the same. And while we have tried to develop her inner core of strength, we will miss her mightily until we meet again.

Special thanks go to the caregivers from Home Instead, who took such good care of our mother the past several years, especially Jeannie, Sandra, Rebecca, Tiana and Katia. We are so grateful to each of you, and the many others who helped.

A Service to the Witness of the Resurrection is planned for Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11:00 AM at First Presbyterian Church, 110 N. Adams Street, Tallahassee, Florida. In lieu of flowers, please consider planting a tree or making a donation of clean water through Heifer International.