Cloyce E. “Toke” Phillips, Gridley
Cloyce E. “Toke” Phillips died Wednesday, May 16, 2007, at his home in Gridley. He was 81.
The son of Loren D. and Ruth Elliott Phillips, he was born Sept. 25, 1925, in Gridley. He attended Gravel Hill Rural School, Gridley Elementary School, Gridley High School and graduated from Madison High School in 1947. He attended Emporia State University, where he played football.
Mr. Phillip served in the U.S. Army as a cook during the Korean War and received his final discharge on Nov. 15, 1951.
In 1952, he married Edith Storrer. They had three children and later divorced. On Nov. 25, 1977, he married JoAnn Shimp at the United Methodist Church in Gridley. She survives him.
Mr. Phillips spend several years working in the aircraft industry in Wichita. He returned to Gridley in 1970 and worked in the oil fields and for Dornes Bulldozing. Most of his working life was spent in food preparation and service. He and his second wife formed Phillips Food Service and operated the Sale Barn Cafe in Burlington and the Sale Barn Cafe in El Dorado. They also did catering.
Mr. Phillips was a member of the Lamont Wesleyan Church, the American legion Post at Gridley, the Coffey County Historical Society, the Gridley Senior Citizens and the fellowship of Alcoholics Anonymous.
Other survivors include a son, Mark Phillips of Concord, Calif.; two daughters, Kate T.S. Phillips of Parks, Ariz., and Julia Andres of Casa Grande, Ariz.; one stepson, Christopher Dune of Lennox, Mass.; two stepdaughters, Vicki Robles of Corpus Christi, Texas, and Lisa Booth of Augusta; one granddaughter; seven stepgrandchildren; two stepgreat-grandchildren; and a sister, Ruth Joan Waters of Goddard.
He was preceded in death by a brother, Arly Phillips.
The funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Lamont Wesleyan Church in Lamont. The body will be cremated. The family will meet with friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at Jones Funeral Home in Burlington.
Memorial donations may be made to Hand in hand Hospice or the church and sent in care of the Jones Funeral Home, P.O. Box 277, Burlington, KS 66839.