Ramon "Ray" E. McPhillips' Obituary
Ramon (Ray) E. McPhillips departed this world in the late hours of Sunday October 16. He had been in declining health for the past 6 months, finally succumbing to pneumonia at the Veteran’s Hospital in Loma Linda. A memorial service will be held at the Redlands First Church of the Nazarene, 1307 E. Citrus, 92374 at 2:00 pm on Saturday, October 22. Graveside services will be held on Monday, October 24, 2011 at 10:01 a.m. at the National Riverside Cemetery, 22495 Van Buren Blvd., Riverside. All who knew and loved him are welcome. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Redlands church which was such an integral part of his life are encouraged.
Born in Birmingham, Alabama on April 25, 1926 to Francis M. McPhillips, the son of an Irish immigrant who came over to fight in the civil war and Eva I. Cunningham, granddaughter of a plantation owner, Ray was the 4th of 5 siblings, Lucille, Edith, Frank, and Evelyn, all now deceased. He developed a joy for personal interactions at the early age of 9 when he began delivering circulars on Saturday mornings to earn a quarter. This allowed him to attend the double feature picture show for a dime, buy 3 candy bars for the second dime and still have a nickel left over for church on Sunday. He developed his gift for negotiating by helping out during the holidays at the department store in downtown Birmingham where his father was the top salesman. It always amused him that some customers would rather pay more on the first floor than buy the same item at discount in the basement.
In 1943 at the age of 17, during his summer break from high school, he heeded the call and joined the service, eventually ending up in Burma as a radio engineer. For someone disinclined even to turn a screw driver, he took a lot of ribbing for that “engineer” title later in life.
While in the service his family relocated to San Bernardino. Upon discharge, with the aid of the G.I. Bill and money earned selling accordions door to door, he received an associate degree from San Bernardino Valley College and a B.A. in English with a teaching credential from the University of Redlands in 1950. He spent a year as 7th grade teacher, basketball and track coach at Crest Forest School in Crestline before enrolling at Long Beach State where he earned a state credential in Recreation Studies. This propelled him towards his first career as physical training director of the Riverside and Redlands YMCAs and finally from 1960 to 1969 as executive director of the Los Alamos, New Mexico YMCA where he accepted the challenge of building the nation’s first Family YMCA. A gated and secretive community, home of the atomic bomb, Los Alamos lacked major sources of funding available to most YMCAs. He worked with builders, local business men, and scientists (and their families) to transform a WWII barracks into a modern full service facility. That job done he returned to his beloved California to work at the San Jose YMCA.
Returning to San Bernardino in 1979 to care for his ailing mother he became a Sales Representative for World’s Finest Chocolate in San Bernardino and Riverside counties. He held that title until his passing. In this capacity he helped schools and sports groups acquire needed funds and students and players get their first opportunity at learning the art of salesmanship.
He had no children of his own, having lost his first wife Harriet D. Wiley, a first grade teacher at San Bernardino California School, in 1958 after just 2 ½ years of marriage. In 1981 he married Dr. Twilla L. Jordan, a professor at Point Loma Nazarene College, and is survived by her children, Theodore, Trevecca, Twanna and Tricia. Twilla passed away in 2006. He is also survived by his niece Julie Morris of Lake Arrowhead and nephew, Ray Reese of Apple Valley as well as numerous nieces and nephews in Alabama.
Ray loved sports and politics in that order. The Alabama and USC football teams and the Lakers were his favorites. He loved tennis and handball, and played football in high school and both offensive and defensive right end on the 1947 San Bernardino Valley College football team. As a lifelong democrat he was always on the side of the downtrodden. He bemoaned the loss of life of the young men and increase in debt from our most recent wars. He would frequently sing the war bonds song he was taught in grammar school as a reminder that historically wars were paid for.
After Twilla’s passing, he seldom ate at home. He could be seen at various eating establishments in the Inland Empire with his wide brimmed hat, self-deprecating humor and whimsical blue eyes, enriching the lives of all he met. He was the gentlest of men. He will be missed.
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