Betty A. (Trippensee) Phillips

Phillips, Betty A. (Trippensee)

Passed away peacefully on November 8, 2020 at the age of 89.

Betty Ann Trippensee, the only child of Herbert O. and Mabel A. (Fox) Trippensee, was born on Jaunary 4, 1931 in Saginaw, MI. Betty attended the Saginaw Pubic Schools and graduated from Arthur Hill High School in 1949. She earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Michigan State University in 1953 and began her career teaching elementary school in the Battle Creek and Saginaw Public Schools. Betty met William H. Phillips while they were both teaching in Battle Creak and they were married on June 23, 1956. After taking time away from work to raise her two children, Betty joined her husband and her father in managing the Trippensee Planetarium Company and Wildlife Supply Company, businesses that her father and uncles had founded.

Betty retired in 2001 but remained very active in community activities until her early 80s, when her health began to falter. She was past President of the Riverside Kiwanis, the Westside Business Association, the Saginaw Public Library Board, and the Westside Art Fair. She was a tireless advocate for revitalizing the West Side business district of Saginaw and was one of the original supporters for renaming the area “Old Saginaw City.” She spent many hours planning and volunteering with others for causes that benefited the community. Betty was a member of Pit and Balcony, Germania, Pan-Hellenic, Gandy Dancers, Saginaw Children’s Zoo, Saginaw Symphony Orchestra, Alpha Chi Omega, Friends of the Libraries, OLLI, Saginaw Art Museum, and the Saginaw Community Foundation. She was also an active member of the Michigan State Alumni Association and spent many hours helping to organize reunions. She was blessed with many lifelong friends and lived life to the fullest until these last few years.

Surviving are Betty’s children Douglas Phillips and his wife Eileen Mullen, Needham, MA; Dianne Dalton and her husband Curt, Saginaw, MI; grandchildren Nicholas Mullen Phillips, Claire Mullen Phillips, Katherine Mullen Phillips, Sara Willett, and CJ Dalton; four great grandchildren; cousin Elinor Saunders, brother-in-law and sister-in-law Geoffrey Phillips and Ginny Oliver; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Betty was predeceased by her husband, sisters-in-law Cynthia Alderson and Althea Phillips, and a very special cousin Jim Fox.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm on Friday, November 13, 2020, at W. L. Case and Company, 4480 Mackinaw Road, Saginaw, MI. A private family entombment will be held at Oakwood Mausoleum following visitation. Pursuant to the current state orders indoor building capacity is limited, face masks are required, and social distancing encouraged. We appreciate everyone’s efforts to help stop the spread of covid-19 in our community. Those wishing an expression of sympathy may wish to consider a donation to Saginaw Promise, Saginaw Community Foundation, Saginaw Children’s Zoo, or a charity of their choice.