Nat Phillips, Jr.
Nat Phillips, Jr., 93, passed away on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.
Nat was born in Cleveland, Tn., on June 12, 1930, the only child of Nathaniel G. and Grace Quinn Phillips. His childhood was interrupted at age nine when his father died suddenly of a heart attack. A few years later, he moved to Chattanooga where he attended Central High School and became active in Ridgedale Baptist Church, living with his uncle and working in the Warner Park concession stand his uncle owned.
He attended Carson Newman College where he met Dolores Cornett, the love of his life and wife of 73 years. They married in December, 1950, and together they moved to Louisville, Ky., and Fort Worth, Texas, where Nat attended both Southern and Southwestern Seminaries.
During the 50s and 60s, Nat pastored a number of Southern Baptist Churches in Kentucky, Texas, Tennessee, West Virginia, the Panama Canal Zone, and Georgia. He also continued his education at Vanderbilt, where he completed an M.A. in Philosophy, and at the University of Tennessee.
They had two children, Stephen, in 1953, and Michele, in 1956. In 1968 they moved to Chattanooga to begin teaching at Tennessee Temple College, Dolores in the Psychology department and Nat in the History, Philosophy, and Bible departments. They taught at Tennessee Temple for 30 years while also ministering in various area churches.
Nat was intelligent, an entertaining and sought after teacher. He taught himself to build, a hobby he and Dolores enjoyed together. They built several houses, their favorite, their last, on Signal Mountain. He was devoted to Dolores, and they enjoyed a deep bond and partnership in ministry. They were loving and supportive parents and grandparents.
Nat’s life was marked by his encounter with Christ as a teenager, when he sensed God’s call to preach the gospel. This remained his passion and his highest goal, even to his last weeks. It was with joy he preached his final sermon on Sunday, Jan. 28, to a gathering of residents in his assisted living facility.
Nat was preceded in death by his wife, Dolores, only four months ago. He is survived by his children, Stephen Phillips and Michele Cole, their spouses, Sharon Phillips and Tim Cole, six grandchildren, Greg, Scott, and Lori Phillips (Neal), and Jared, Zachary, and Seth Cole, and 10 great-grandchildren.
He has left a legacy of faithfulness to His calling, to His Savior, and to his wife and family. It is an example we will seek to follow.
Funeral services will be held on Thursday, March 7, at 1 p.m., at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 5479 Highway 58. The family will receive friends for Nat on Thursday, from 11 a.m. until service time at the church.
Interment will follow at Chattanooga Memorial Park, 501 Memorial Dr., Chattanooga.
Arrangements are by the North Chapel of Chattanooga Funeral Home, Crematory, and Florist, 5401 Highway 153, Hixson, Tn. 37343.
Please share your thoughts and memories at www.chattanooganorthchapel.com