Pastor Don Phillips

Pastor Don, age 63 of Salisbury passed away Saturday morning February 25, 2017 at the Lutheran Home At Trinity Oaks. Funeral service will be held 2:00 PM Tuesday February 28, 2017 at St. Luke’s Lutheran Church with Bishop Tim Smith conducting the service. Burial will follow at Sandy Creek Cemetery. The family will receive friends at Davidson Funeral Home in Lexington from 6:00 until 8:00 PM Monday evening. Don Phillips was born in Hickory, NC to Vaughan and Arthelia Phillips on February 26, 1953.  Don grew up in Hildebran, NC and graduated from Hildebran High School.   He then graduated Magna cum laude from Lenoir-Rhyne University in 1974 and from Southern Lutheran Seminary in Columbia, SC in 1978.  He was ordained as a Lutheran minister of the North Carolina Synod in June, 1978.  As a minister, Don served the following churches:  Lutheran Chapel in China Grove from 1978-1984, Faith Lutheran Church in Conover, NC from mid-1984 through June 1989, St Luke’s in Lexington, NC from July 1989 through July 2006, Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church in Salisbury, NC from August 2006 through February 2011, St. Martin’s Lutheran Church in Albemarle, NC from April 2014 through October 2016.  Don was also interim pastor at Gloria Dei in Salisbury. Don loved the communities in which he worked and was involved was in many activities throughout his ministry.  He frequently worked with the local ecumenical ministry agencies to assist with the poor and homeless in the communities. He always walked in the CROP walk each year.   He volunteered in the DARE program in elementary schools to help educate children about drug awareness. He was a member of the Senior Citizens Board of Directors in Davidson County. He assisted in prison ministry at Davidson Correctional Unit.  He served as an IEP advocate for Davidson County Schools.  He was a member of the Lexington Youth Theatre Board and acted in many plays for the Lexington Community Theater, the most notable of which were The King and I and Scrooge.  More recently, Don was in several plays with the Lexington Hot Flash players, which include Smoke on the Mountain and On Golden Pond.  Don enjoyed acting and often brought real-life dramas to his church and community through dramatic portrayals of biblical characters during the season of Lent.  He was a lover of all genres of music and shared his musical talent at local nursing homes to entertain residents there with his dulcimers and guitar music.  He was an avid cyclist and swimmer and participated in the local and state Senior Olympics in fall of 2015.  He enjoyed sailing on his boat and spending time at the family beach house with friends and family. Don also loved teaching and was a dynamic teacher.  He enjoyed teaching religion classes at three different community colleges during his years of ministry.  He taught at Davidson County Community College for many years as an adjunct religion instructor; he taught at Rowan Cabarrus since 2008 as an adjunct and most recently taught religion at Montgomery Community College. Don is survived by his wife, Pat of the home, daughter Callie Phillips of Salisbury, daughter Kathryn Thill and husband Jonathan of Asheboro and grandsons, Jackson and Remington Thill (his great prides and joy), brother, Paul Phillips and wife, Sara of Hildebran, nephew Stephen Phillips of Asheville, and sister-in-law, Claudia Stamey of Wilkesboro, NC. He is also survived by numerous cousins and other relatives in the Hickory and Hildebran areas of NC. Online condolences may be made at www.davidsonfuneralhome.net