Nancy Jean (Johnson) Phillips, 81, of Jonesboro, Georgia, peacefully passed away on June 13, 2026, from cancer-related complications.

Born to Clarence Johnson and Ruth (Brackner) Johnson on November 23, 1944, in Tuscaloosa County, Alabama, Nancy grew up in central Alabama. After graduating from Brookwood High School in 1963, she worked locally before becoming a Flight Attendant for Eastern Airlines. During this time, she met and married James “Jim” Phillips, had two children, and became a homemaker. Once both children were in school, Nancy returned to the workforce, serving the community through the Clayton County library and school systems. She worked at several schools in various aide positions before transitioning to administrative roles in finance and operations, where, for five years, she was responsible for routing the county’s school buses. After retiring in 2005, she volunteered at The Good Shepherd Clinic in Morrow, Georgia, for several years, helping the clinic’s growth.

Nancy loved nature’s beauty and was an avid floral gardener and enjoyer of bird song. She was a longtime member of the Philadelphia Presbyterian Church family, where she was an active participant in many church groups, most recently serving on the committee that planned the church’s bicentennial celebration. She also led efforts at the church cemetery to ensure that flowers and other memorial decorations were placed on the graves of those with no local family members.

Loving wife, devoted mother and aunt, doting grandmother, and maker of the best cornbread dressing and oatmeal cookies in the world, Nancy is survived by her husband of 60 years, Jim Phillips; her children, Blake Phillips and Brooke (Phillips) Lloyd; their respective spouses, Susan Phillips and Tommy Lloyd; two granddaughters, Kaylee Lloyd and Amelia Enete; and a long list of cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends whom she dearly loved. She was preceded in death by her parents, her older sister, Dene Long, and her younger brother, Jerry Johnson. Nancy will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

Friends and family will gather on Saturday, July 18, at Philadelphia Presbyterian Church, 351 Morrow Road, Forest Park, GA, 30297, to celebrate Nancy’s life. Visitation will begin at 1:30 PM, followed by a service at 2:00 PM. A remembrance reception at the church will follow the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Philadelphia Presbyterian Church Cemetery Fund (using this link or by mail to PPC Cemetery Fund, PO Box 871028, Morrow, GA, 30287) or The Good Shepherd Clinic (now part of The Urban Clinic of Atlanta).