Eric Nathan Phillips

Eric is survived by his wife, Leigh Sanders Phillips; and his children, Olivia Grace, 7, and Harrison Reid, 5. He is also survived by his parents, Jon Scott and Dena Ann (Bower) Phillips of Mishawaka, Indiana; and his brother, Jon Christopher Phillips and Emily Sarah Block; and niece, Abigail Ryan Block Phillips, of Edmonton, AB, Canada. Also surviving are aunts, uncles, and cousins living in Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Massachusetts and Colorado. He is preceded in death by his grandparents, Reid and Marguerite Phillips; Kenneth and Julia Bower, all of Indiana.

Eric was born on August 26, 1974, in South Bend, Indiana. He graduated from Purdue University in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering Technology and was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. He served as President during his junior/senior year and remained an active alumnus until his passing. He later obtained his Master of Science in Systems Engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 2013. After completing his undergraduate studies, Eric accepted an engineering position with Kellogg Brown & Root and moved south to Houston, Texas, to begin his professional career. After only 10 months, he discovered oil and gas was not for him and left the downtown skyline to pursue a new industry. In April 1999, Eric began his career in aerospace as an Acoustic Project Engineer with Lockheed Martin at the Johnson Space Center, working the Bioastronautics Contract in support of the International Space Station (ISS). In April 2004, Eric was asked to join the Payload Engineering and Integration team at The Boeing Company, again supporting the ISS as their Systems Integration Engineering, Payload Acoustics and Intra Vehicular Activity lead. He was passionate about working in aerospace and supporting the astronauts as well as furthering space exploration.

In addition to his love for anything aerospace, Eric also had a fervent love for the sport of rugby. After playing at the collegiate level while attending Purdue, he became involved with the Houston Athletic Rugby Club (HARC) in 2001 and was an active player until almost 40. Eric had the honor of serving as Club President beginning in 2008 and proudly managed the organization for 9 years.

It was during his tenure as President that he met his wife, Leigh, while playing in a match and donning the HARC kit, which unbeknownst to him would serve as his calling card. It was quickly apparent that they belonged together and were married in August 2012. Over the course of their 10-year marriage, the couple welcomed two beautiful and spirited children into their home (slowly replacing Eric’s canine children over the years). The children will remember him as a wise and patient father, who loved all dogs and constantly encouraged them to practice what they love (be it sports, art, reading, music) and always follow through with commitments and promises.

A come-and-go visitation will be held Tuesday, March 15, 2022, from 5:00pm to 8:00pm at Forest Park Westheimer, 12800 Westheimer Road, Houston, Texas 77077. A graveside service will occur on Wednesday, March 16, at 2:00pm at the same location. A car line will form at the main building for the procession to the gravesite. The Rev. William T. Campbell will officiate the ceremony. All are welcome to attend and celebrate Eric’s life. Condolences may be left at: www.forestparkwestheimer.com.