Nevada Fay Phillips

Nevada Fay (Weaver) Phillips passed on Friday, October 6, 2023 in Bakersfield, California, at the age of 93. Nevada Fay was the fourth of seven siblings born April 23, 1930, to Roy Marquis Weaver and Martha Rose (Kimmel) Weaver. She grew up in the small western Pennsylvania town of Scottdale. Nevada graduated from Scottdale High School in 1948 and was very proud of having been a majorette for the Scotties and first runner-up in the anniversary queen competition for the Scottdale Diamond Jubilee Celebration. Upon graduation, Nevada began her first job as the secretary for the RP Love and Gene Rankin Dodge/Plymouth automobile dealership. Following the sale of the automobile dealership, Nevada began her second job in 1949 as the store secretary for the Morris department store and occasionally was conscripted to perform some modelling. Her third job was working as a secretary for the Mennonite Publishing House. Interestingly, one of her secretarial tasks included memorizing the keyboard of a Greek alphabet typewriter so that she could copy and type Greek text. She laughed at not knowing what she was typing.

When Nevada was 11 years old she played sandlot softball with the neighborhood kids and met the love of her life—“Jimmie”. Nevada married James T. Phillips at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Scottdale on May 23, 1953. After their marriage, the young couple moved to Cleveland, Ohio, where Nevada began working as the secretary for the vice president of the chemical and pigment division of the Glidden Corporation. Nevada quit working following the birth of her first born son James Tracy in 1954. In February of 1956, the young family packed up and drove across the country to start a new life in Southern California. Once established in Inglewood, California, Nevada began working as a secretary for the chief engineer of the wing and empennage division of the Northrup Corporation until giving birth to her second son Mark Cary in 1959. In 1969 the family moved from Hawthorne, California, to their forever home in Lomita, California.

After a hiatus from work life to raise and care for two sons, Nevada re-entered the work force part time selling furniture and accessories for an interior design store in Torrance, California. Then in 1972, Nevada began working full time as a medical secretary for Kaiser Permanente in Harbor City, California. She worked for an additional 11 years until having to retire on medical disability.

Nevada had a lifelong interest in movies and fashion. Her son’s middle names reflect her love of the cinema. As a teenager Nevada learned to sew and made many of her own clothes of her own designs inspired by the latest fashion on display in the movies. Her sewing attracted the attention of her neighbors and for several years she made and sold fancy kitchen aprons and luxurious bath robes. Nevada was truly artistic and talented. She became an excellent oil painting artist, creating numerous works of art, several of which she sold. A local interior designer recognized Nevada’s artistic talents and commissioned her to create loop hooked rug wall hangings and to paint plaster wall art and statuary. Nevada was a poet, having written numerous poems including a poem commemorating the birth of each grandson. She was definitely “right brain”.

Sadly, her beloved Jimmie passed far too young from lung cancer in 1993 and Nevada moved to Bakersfield, California, to be closer to family. During her retirement years in Bakersfield, Nevada enjoyed traveling with several tour groups. She took several trips to Europe and throughout the United States. She enjoyed attending Broadway plays and musicals as well as attending numerous concerts and weekend trips to local casinos. She loved Las Vegas. In her later years she became an avid fan of the Turner Classic Movies channel and loved watching the old movie classics. To satisfy her gambling itch, she loved playing bingo.

Nevada is preceded in death by her husband James T. Phillips, her father Roy Marquis, her mother Martha Rose, and siblings Roy Wayne, James Stickler, Anna Wanda, Carl Edward and Robert Kimmel. Nevada is survived by her sons, James Tracy (Elsie), Mark Cary (Donna), her seven grandsons, Matthew, Rory (Jacque), Cody (Taylor), Sean, Troy, Mike (Nancy), Jason, her three great grandchildren, Sophia, Vivienne, Palmer, numerous nieces and nephews, and her beloved sister Martha Alice Kelley.

A memorial and committal service will be held on Monday, October 23, 2023, beginning at 2:00 PM. Green Hills Memorial Park, Rancho Palos Verdes, California. Nevada can be remembered by a gift in her name to Hoffmann Hospice. Donations can be made to--hoffmannhospice.org/donate/